Lone Wolf
by darkstream0
Summary: A criminal gets kicked around in different dimensions until he is dragged into the great game. No need to fear for this guy. He is going to fit in perfectly with the world he find himself in. Afterall he is a killer just like everyone else. He will never miss his home as he found his true home with the psychopaths in Westeros. A Robb Stark SI. The North will remember him.
1. A little killing is good for health

Luke Smith rushed his bike along the streets of Mumbai city in a mad frenzy. He weaved the bike through the traffic and the people but he kept a close eye on the rear view mirror of his bike watching the moves of his enemies closely. But unfortunately for him as he turned into an alleyway his bike clipped on the wall of a shop and he fell face first on the ground. His helmet protected him from any head injury but his pursuers caught upto him. He stood on unsteady legs and tried to run away but something hard hitted on the back of his head. His ears started ringing and he lost his vision as he fell unconscious on the floor.

The next time Luke opened his eyes he saw he was in a dark room. He tried to move his hand but it was tied up by ropes. He grunted as he tried to break free of the ropes but the door quickly opened and he saw someone coming towards him with his blurry vision. He was dragged outside the room and he was presented before his ex boss on his knees.

"Luke when I first saw you I saw myself in you in many ways. But now I see I was wrong. All I see is a love struck boy who never learned anything from life. Tell me why did you snitch on me. Why did you inform them about my drug business." his boss asked

When he continued to hold his silence one of the goons punched him across his face making him spit blood to the floor.

"I wanted a new life. I wanted a life with Akshaya. I wanted out of your gang, so I told the police about everything." Luke said with several coughs

"Oh yes your lady love. How could I forget. Is this your dear Akshaya." his boss sneered as he threw a laminated card in Luke's face. The card fell on the floor but he clearly saw her face on the card. But what struck him cold was that the card was an ID card of the police department of Mumbai.

"Yes. Your dear girlfriend is an undercover agent. She played you like a fiddle and you spilled all the information she wanted like a moron. You betrayed all of us and for what, some girl you know for two months. I never took you for an idiot Luke but you have proved yourself to be one." his boss said as he took a gun and loaded it

"No this not true. Akshaya is a computer engineer. She works for a firm in the city." Luke said in disbelief

"She faked it you fool. I have always considered you a good friend Luke but you betrayed. You betrayed all of us. Because of you so many of our men have been arrested and killed. All of my stocks are now under police custody because of you. Do you remember what I told you before you joined me Luke." his boss asked

"Don't trust anybody." Luke numbly replied

"Yes and now you see why I told you that. You were a skilled smuggler and an even better killer. But there is one flaw within you my friend. You switch off your criminal persona when you are not on the job. That is your problem Luke. You should not have tried to create another persona. Sometimes the other side will spill over and now look at you. I can no longer see the Luke Smith I met seven years ago. The one that was a cold hearted killer with precision. Now you look like a kicked puppy." his boss said with a laugh

"Get me out of these ropes. I will kill the b* myself." Luke snarled as he was overcome with hatred, anger and grief

"Oh no Luke. Your fate is sealed. There is no going back from here." his boss said as he pulled the gun on his face. But just then they heard gunshots outside. The door of the room got blown inwards spreading sharpnel inside. Luke used this distraction and wrestled the gun out of his boss. He rolled behind a pillar and fired at his boss. His aim held true as the bullet punched through his boss's head and he fell dead.

Luke hid behind the pillar and tried his best to slip out of the rope but to no avail. He saw a long glass shard near him and he used it to cut into the rope. His hands became bloodied as the shard sometimes bit into his hands. But he still did his job diligently and finally he was able to cut the rope. He took a small peak and saw the police firing at the goons and thugs and take fire as well. Then he saw that accursed b* taking cover behind a table.

He felt rage course through his veins as he saw her. He hid behind the pillar and took a deep breath and thought through his options. He could lie down and be captured by the police. He may end up behind bars but he would live. Another option was he fight through this carnage and try to eacape with his life. He may have to be on the run from police but he was confident he can escape them if he makes out alive from here. Then there is the last option. He could stay here take his chances and kill anyone that comes in his way and finally put a bullet through the head of that cheating b* who made him look like a fool. He felt more at peace with the last option and his rage settled as he made a decision and his mind kicked into overdrive as his thought process sharpened.

He rolled out from the cover of the pillar as he shot into the open space before him. His first two shots scored hits and an officer fell bleeding from his chest and the third shot hit another's leg. Before anyone could fire at him he was behind a wall. Some officers fired at the wall and he took cover but one of them cried out in pain as he got shot by one of the gang members.

Luke quickly took a peak and he saw his target trying to fire into the gang on her opposite side. He took aim and fired and his aim did not fail him as the bullet went through her unprotected neck. She fell behind the table and Luke quickly rolled on on the ground until he took cover behind a pillar. He saw more police coming and he took a gun that layed on the ground and he ran to the table as he fired into the police squad. With a jump he was able to get under the cover of the table and he promptly shot two police officers trying to stem the bleeding of his prime target. They fell dead beside her. He watched her closely as she desperately tried to form words and raised her hand towards him.

"It is good that you cannot talk because I might just die from the poison you spit up. You used me you b*. You might think yourself a big hero trying to trick drug smugglers and bring them before the law. People like you have been bought up with full bellies and care of your family. But I am someone who had only hunger as a companion. I lived everyday as my last day and I thrived because of that. But I got greedy and desired a normal life. But you have shown me there is nothing normal in this world. For that I am thankful. It is good I end my mistake by my own hand." Luke said as he shot her in the head effectively ending her struggle.

Luke leaned into the table and looked at her dead body. He did not feel an ounce of hurt in his heart but he felt liberated as if a great weight has been taken away from his heart. But he felt really reckless and he stood up and began to fire into the police with his twin guns taking many of them down. He slowly walked around the table never bothering to cover himself as his adrenaline was running high. He fired the guns until the bullets ran out and he even struck one officer with the gun on his head taking him down. Finally a shot hit him on his abdomen making him stop his advance. Another shot was fired and his chest exploded in pain but he suddenly took a gun from one dead policeman and began to fire with a crazed laugh. Once again a shot hit him on the chest and he fell on the floor tired and spent. His vision began to get blurry and darkness covered his eyes.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

He regained his bearings and he slowly stood up. Everything was silent and when he looked around he saw all the policemen stood frozen in place as if the world itself has been paused. He looked at himself and he saw he was transparent like a glass only a faint outline could be seen. He looked down and saw his body. He wanted to panick but he strangely felt calm and he stood there looking at his corpse. He grew bored of that so he walked out of the building into the sunlight. Contrary to his thought he did not get burned like he saw in some ghost movies in India. But the sky quickly darkened as if a storm was about to hit. A lightning bolt fell from the sky and struck him but he felt no pain but he felt himself being stuffed into a small tube. Everything was bright around him and he could not see anything.

Suddenly the brightness dimmed and he could see again. He was in a wooden house with candles providing light. He looked out of the window but it was dark and he could not see anything. Suddenly lightning flashed in the sky and he saw a hooded figure on the gates of this house. The creepy guy pushed the gates open and entered in leisurely pace.

Sudenly he heard a commotion from the other end of the hall way.

"Lily take Harry and run. I will hold him off." Someone shouted and the guy ran into the hallway and passed through him like he was never there. Luke was very confused as a memory tried to surface but he never got the chance as he began to hear some hissing laughter from the direction he saw the man run.

"Very brave but foolish. Facing me without a wand Potter. Such a shame you refused to join me." a voice hissed followed by a gleeful voice of "Avada Kedavra"

Luke saw a green light flash from the side he was looking and he heard a dull thud. Finally everything clicked into place but he could not wrap his head around what was happening around him. Was he somehow in the Potter's house in a fictional world based on a book. His silent question got answered as he saw a snake faced man appear at the end of hallway and approached him steadily. But like before Mr.Snake face walked right through him towards his target. Luke decided to follow the man and entered the room after the dark lord Voldemort.

"Stand aside women." Voldemort demanded

"Not Harry. Please take me instead. Spare him." Lily Potter begged

"Stand aside women. You need not die. I only want his life. You need not die." Voldemort commanded

"No please. Take me instead. Spare my Harrry." Lily Potter begged as she stood protectively over her son

"Very well." Voldemort murmured and he casted the killing curse on Lily. She fell dead on the floor with a thud.

"Only I shall live forever." Voldemort said as he pointed his wand at the baby Harry and casted the killing curse. But this time the green curse after striking Harry's forehead got reflected back upon the dark lord.

Voldemort couldn't even react as the curse struck him true and he screamed in rage and pain as the body of dark lord simply disintegrated into ash leaving only his cloak and wand. But Luke saw a smokey wraith rise from the ash and disappeared out of the window. A small ghostly portion swirled around in the room but instead of latching on to baby Harry like Luke thought it would the stupid thing came into him. It was so unexpected that he could not move and a splitting headache affected him and he lost his vision once again. His last view was a crying Harry Potter in the crib bleeding from his forehead.

**XXXXXXXXX**

Luke slowly opened his eyes but everything was blurry once again. He had to wait some time until his vision cleared up. He tried to stand up but he found himself unable to move. He yawned and felt himself overcome by sleep. With his will alone he managed to stay awake and began to look around him by moving his eyes. He was in some crude building made of stones but he felt smaller than ever before. Suddenly he was bombarded with a flow of memories alien to him. He felt as if his head was going to explode but somehow Luke overcame the pain and calmed himself. Suddenly some giant man picked him up.

"Don't cry my son. I am here. Look at me little wolf. I am your father Robb." the giant man said with love

That's when he realised this man was not a giant instead Luke himself has become small. He waved his hand and he was able to saw how tiny it was. He looked stunned at the man before him and that's when he recognised him and only one question was going through his head.

What was Sean Bean doing here? A question that short-circuited his brain and he fell asleep.


	2. Playing Robinhood

It took him several years to accept that he is Robb Stark, the son of Eddard Stark Warden of North. It was all surreal to him. First he died and walked around as a ghost then somehow he was in the Harry Potter universe and then he fell into Game of Thrones. As if that was not enough he had to endure being a baby. The horror and mortification he suffered at the hands of these people. Just thinking about it makes his skin crawl. The only saving grace in all of this was the power he inherited from the soul shard of Voldemort. Somehow that thing must have dissolved into his soul or something as he could now wield magic without a wand. The memories that accompanied with the soul shard helped him to perform magical spells. But all of his expirements with magic was done without a single witness because of the use of Notice me not wards. Afterall he did not want to die by some barbarians because they think that he was possessed or something.

His previous life has imparted a great deal of caution into his blood and he did not forget that life lesson. Each breath, movement and looks he did was measured, precise and well thought out. So he did not try to read books when he was age two like some stupid fool trying to learn about the world. No he was cautious and he always whispered a mantra over and over in his mind 'Anonymity...Anonymity... Anonymity'

This was why he did not show up his intelligence like a complete moron like he read in some fanfictions. He played around like a real kid. Well that was a little harder as he had to indulge in innane things like toys. But he followed what Jon would do. So far that seems to work perfectly with no problems. After four years passed since his birth in 281 AC, another sibling was born. Sansa Stark took birth in 285 AC.

The first five years of his life in Westeros was boring but when he turned six Maester Luwin would teach him and Jon about the great houses and the various lordly houses of the North. He began to teach them about the lands of the North and to recognise which house reigned over which lands. The Maester also taught them to read and write as well. Well here Robb could display his skill as he quickly learned anything the Maester taught him.

Any free time he had was spent mastering his magical power. That was a tough process as he had to do everything without a wand but somehow it was working without much problems. The more he practiced the further his powers grew. But he always practiced magic under wards.

His mother Catelyn Tully tried many times to make him pray to the Seven gods but he was having none of that. She even put up that stupid septa into her little schemes. But his dear mother didn't know that her son was a cold hearted killer. A few days later the septa was found dead in her sleep in Winterfell courtesy of an Avada Kedavra to the face by yours truly. He was getting tired of the constant nagging of that ignorant women and now he could relax for a while.

His plan did not work that well as another septa came to Winterfell a week later. He ended up killing that one as well after a month. Truly he did not like religious zealots especially those without any power. After that his father had strictly forbidden Catelyn from spreading her stupid religion upon him. His father must have thought the deaths were a sign of Old gods. Whatever, he was finally free from the constant nagging of septas. But with a sept inside Winterfell he still had to see those useless cunts doing absolutely nothing useful other than being a nuisance to the people of Winter town. When he will eventually take over as the lord of Winterfell that stupid sept will be the first to go and anyone in that thing.

Of all the people in Winterfell he liked Jon the best. Frankly Jon reminded him of himself while he was at this age of 7. He had to endure redicule as well for being a homeless orphan that lived in the streets. Nobody would pay him any mind but his only aim at that point of his life was to eat something. He had to even survive for weeks without any food living only on water. Those memories always pushed him forward in his life later on.

Jon didn't have a fraction of problems that he had but the cruel way Catelyn treated him must be having a real psychological impact on Jon. He was more reserved and silent as he grew up and realised he was a bastard. Sometimes Catelyn would make Jon eat his food on the floor away from the main table. But when she does that Robb would take his food and eat with Jon below on the floor. His mother tried to stop him many times but he never gave his ear for her nagging. Besides whenever Robb did that he could see the happiness in Jon's eyes and the silent support Eddard gives. In the end Robb made it a habit of eating breakfast, lunch and dinner with Jon. While there was some friction between Eddard and Catelyn due to my behaviour it quickly blowed over as a new sibling was born. In 287 AC Arya Stark came into the world putting smiles on his parents face. This was followed by Bran stark in the next year. Everything was going smoothly until the Greyjoy rebellion happened.

The Greyjoy rebellion started in 289 AC. At that time Robb was nine years old. He watched as Eddard Stark marched with a Northern host for war against the Ironborn. This was a time that he utilized well. With his control over magic he put the people of Winterfell under the imperius curse and confundus charm. He took some guards with him on the way and they disguised themselves as travellers. The idea behind this little trip was to increase the fertility of the land and cast a weather controlling ward around the North. It was easier said than done as he had to literally create an innumerable number of wardstones.

Creating wardstones required him to carve out runes in a particular sequence. Robb only had the memories of the craft so he had to do a lot of practice until he perfected the art. It took him many years of work to master the art. But now the fruits of his labour was going to show itself. He travelled across the North and planted a number of ward stones. Usually he selected places with weirwood trees for housing the ward stone as the trees were a concentration of magical energy. All the stones were keyed to his blood as he had filled the carved runes with his own blood. Climate control wards was the easy part but the real challenge is to increase the fertility of the land.

You see one cannotant just weave wards around and change the fertility of land. No to change the very texture of nature one must practice Duridism, the art of healing and blessing nature. Fortunately this was something Voldemort studied in his travels. After the World War 2 in the Harry Potter universe, Voldemort travelled to Japan and studied under several wizards as they healed the Nuclear bombed sites. They could not change the mutation in people but they were able to save the land from any further poisining. It was a very closely held coverup as the ICW had to use extensive magic to make the muggles believe the land was still radioactive for a time.

Anyways the problem with Duridism was that the caster would have to be personally present for the healing process. It was not something he could do on a long distance. So he chose to just bless the lands of Torrhen's square, White harbour, the lands along the White Knife river, Hornwood lands and Bear Islands with extreme fertility. All of this took a better part of the year and he had to return to Winterfell to place the main ward stone for the control of weather patterns.

After he came back to Winterfell Robb lifted the curses he placed and made the people believe that he was here in Winterfell by implanting false memories without any problems. After that he buried the main wardstone in Winterfell's godswood. From Winterfell he began to project the wards all over the North. The rest of the wardstones began to resonate in synch with his energy and finally he felt a connection was achieved with all wardstones. There was no light show but his senses tingled as the ward he designed came into effect. There was also another reason he put the wardstones near the wierwood trees. With a slight modification in the ward scheme he was able to lock out the three eyed raven from the wierwood trees because he was cautious of that man. Now his influence would be confined beyond the wall.

After securing the weirwood network Robb used the wards to protect everything south of Winterfell from the snow and Winter. It essentially means that snow and storms would no longer affect the lands of Winterfell to the Neck. But unfortunately for the Boltons, Glovers, Umbers and Karstarks they could not enjoy the new climate of the North. Until he can control that leech in the Dreadfort and destroy the Ryswell - Bolton - Dustin alliance he will not be helping them in any way. His only regret was that he could not do the same to the Barrowlands and Rills. As the seat of House Dustin and Ryswell were south of Winterfell he could not exclude them from the protection of the wards as it would raise unnecessary questions. The other idea was to kill Barbery Dustin but he decided not to mess with the time line too much as it always ends up in a mess later. Besides with his father out of his reach any one of the Northern lords could influence him to hand over the Barrow lands if dear Lady Dustin dies. So he decided to wait until he became the Warden of North.

The effects of the ward slowly began to take effect. After one day the climate began to shift and half of the North stopped snowing. At first everyone thought it was a fluke but as days passed not even a flake of snow fell from the sky. Many small folk thanked the Old gods as the land itself began to get rejuvinated. The land itself began to get more easy to farm and within months half of the North completely turned into grasslands.

By then news reached Winterfell that the Greyjoy rebellion has been put down. Stannis Baratheon with the aid of Paxter Redwyne destroyed the Iron fleet while Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark stormed the Pyke and Balon Greyjoy was forced to surrender.

Balon was accepted back into the king's peace, keeping his lordship and titles, but only on the condition that his last surviving son Theon be made a ward of House Stark as hostage for his good behavior. Theon was just 8 years old at the time. With the war ended Eddard Stark returned to Winterfell with Theon towards the end of the year. The returning Northmen were surprised to find the lands free of any snow and biting cold. It was a welcome surprise to many as the lands now began to yield more crops ensuring the people of the North stay with full bellies for a change.

Slowly over the time of two years the North changed. The amount of fruits and vegetables buying from other kingdoms began to dwindle as more than enough were being cultivated in the North itself. With the Southern part of the North now growing so many crops the Northernmost houses began to buy food from the North itself ensuring the Gold stayed inside the North rather than it falling into the hands of Southern kingdoms. With farming becoming a cash cow for the Northmen many smallfolk began to turn to this profession. But Robb knew that was disaster in waiting so he casted the imperious curse upon Eddard and took control.

Robb used Eddard to call in smiths of Wintertown for a meeting. Robb and Eddard were present themselves and gave them a big project to work on. The project was for casting steel ploughs and necessary tools for making farming a more easy process. With the use of these tools there would be less need of manpower for farming. With the coffers of Winterfell being financially secured they could afford to do this. Soon several people became jobless and the Starks used these men to work on restoring the Kingsroad and expanding it to spread throughout the North to enhance trade.

While this was going on Eddard and Robb went out to meet with lord Wyman Manderly in White harbour. They were welcomed with great fanfare as the Manderlys were staunch supporters of Starks since they came to the North. Eddard preesented his wish for a Northern fleet based on White Harbour, Ramsgate, Stony shore, Kape Kraken and seadragon point to lord Manderly. The lord of white harbour was overjoyed with this turn of events as the Starks have forbidden them from forming a strong fleet after Brandon the Burner burned down the Northern fleets centuries ago. Since then the Manderlys had to defend their trade fleet from the sistermen pirates with what little ships they had and Seadragon point could effectively block an Ironborn strike at Deepwood Motte and Torrhen's square. But now they were given the permission to build a sufficient fleet but that was not all. Robb also put forth a suggestion to widen the white knife to improve river transportation. They stayed in White harbour for a week and Robb became fast friends with Wylis and Wendel Manderly.

Even though the idea for a Northern fleet has it's merit there were many problems as well. Firstly it costs a lot to build a fleet and that too in a short amount of time. The war of Five kings started at 298 AC and now the year was 291 AC. So Robb knew they had only seven years to complete the fleet. Then there was the problem of labour shortage. The North has the wood to build ships but not enough ship builders. So they will have to hire from outside and that would potentially bring spies from the other kingdoms. So the only way he could safely hire ship builders would be from Braavos. But still that tequired a huge amount of gold.

It was under these extreme conditions that Robb decided to steal the gold he needs. So with Eddard's permission Robb decided to go on a voyage across Essos with the trade ships from White Harbour. The Manderlys trade mostly with Braavos. From Braavos Robb cocealed himself and began travrlling to different free cities like Pentos, Tyrosh, Myr, Lis, Mereen, Qarth, Youkai and New Ghis.

In Pentos, Myr, Tyrosh, Yunkai and Mereen he robbed the slavers until there was nothing for them. Some of the wealth he shared with the poor anonymously. Most of these thieving was done after he visited the city and learned everything from the unprotected minds of the slave traders. He stored all his loot in his trunk which he created using magic. It could store a large volume of items as he layered the trunk with expansion charms. Gold and silver was not the only thing he stole from Essos. He began to track down any Valyrian steel weapons using 'point me' spell. So far he had collected three swords and five knifes made of Valyrian steel. His last robbery was in Volantis and he gave a portion of the loot to the Red Temple. The Red priests took his tribute with obvious happines and he prayed in the Red Temple as a show of faith after all he was not a fool to make unnecessary enemies with those who have power like the Red faith. The faith of the seven was a different matter as they were absolutely weak and he really doubted there were any seven gods like the Andals claimed. Anyway the Red priests were happy and he was happy as well as he now stood ready to travel to Valyria. Even with all this he still trained to fight with swords and spears from the different people he hired on his way in the free cities.

Robb had to cast the Imperious curse on the entire crew to take him to Valyria. After they loaded the supplies for the voyage they left the port of Volantis aiming for the lands of the greatest civilization this world has ever seen. The voyage was not without its problems as they had to protect themselves from poisonous gases as they closed up on the shores of Valyria. Robb waved his hand and the entire ship became covered in a bubblehead charm orotecting the crew from any poisonous gas. He also added a Notice me not charm and encased the ship under a muffliato spell for good measure.

The ship anchored in the sea as close as they could to the land. Robb casted the bubblehead charm on himself encasing his body and apperated to the land of Valyria. The land was littered with broken towers that reached up to the sky. The architecture of these buildings itself represented how much advanced the Valyrian Empire was. While the rest of the world still relayed on stones to make houses and castles, the Valyrians have somehow created concrete.

Robb began casting point me spells and tracked what he was here for. The spell tugged at his mind to go firther inland. He carefully apparated the large distances so as to save time. Finally he reached his desrmtination at the foot of one of the volcanos of Fourteen flames. The heat from the volcano was unbearable so he had to add heat repelling spells on his body. He carefully walked up the volcano, the black sand beneath his feet crunching with each step he took. Finally he reached the spot where the spell led him and he saw a gigantic skeleton of a dragon still preserved even from the searing heat of Fourteen flames and degradation by time.

Robb set his trunk down and opened the lid. He took out one of the Valyrian Steel sword and began to hack away the dragon bones. He was only twelve years old so it took him hours of physical work and magic to clear the skeleton away. The hacked bones were stored inside his trunk but the real price was the dragon egg the dragon was guarding with it's own body. Robb took the drago egg into his hand and channeled his magic into it. The egg glowed briefly but it set down after the energy was absorbed. Just as he thought, the egg was still active. The dragon only needed a bit of life energy to come to life. But that was for another time. He was short on time so he put the egg into the trunk and shrinked it and placed it safely in hos pocket. He began to apperate around the peninsula and salvaged a further six swords including Brightroar and eight sets of armours all made of Valyrian steel. He even recovered three spears entirely made of Valyrian Steel. He searched for any tomes in the continent but all of it has beeen burned out or completely shredded. But he still took them with him as a simple reparing charm would fix it later. He found some intact Dragon horns but he destroyed them all as he had another way of binding the dragon to him. With all the loot safely stored in his trunk he apparated back to his ship.

They began sailing back to Volantis in the ship. It took them two weeks to reach Volantis. In that time he was crafting a wand that would aid him in using complicated magics. He took the dragon bone and a severed wood piece from the Weirwood tree of the godswood in Winterfell. He used a Valyrian steel knife to shape the dragonbone into a very thin rod which was thirteen and half inch long. He created a hole in the Weirwood and pushed the draagonbone rod into it. He transfigured the handle with a wolf's pommel. Then he placed the wand in a bowl filled with runes. He sliced his wrist and filled the bowl with his blood. As the wand became submerged in his blood he took his hand away and healed himself. He quickly took some wine and water to remove the lightheadedness he felt. He closed the bowl and waited for the ritual to finish afterall he had all the time he needed.

As they neared the coast Robb turned around and addressed the crew. "I would really like to thank you for your efforts. But that is what all you get from me. My ascension to power cannot be harmed by weak men like you. So I am giving you the gift of swift death." Robb said as he released his hold on the minds of crew members. They blinked as if they were coming from a deep trance. Robb took his newly furnished wand in his hand which wwas now red in colour and with a simple wave he conjured the Fiendfire and set it upon the crew. The ship was instantly consumed by the hell fire and he apperated to the shores of Volantis. He watched as the flames consumed the ship and heard the screams of dying men. Without a shred of guilt he turned his back and entered the city of Volantis once again. There is still business to be done and he was curious how his home was. He had sended some much needed funds via portkey to Eddard so he was not worried for their plans. But he was curious what his mother had to say as well as his brothers and sisters.

**Winterfell 292 AC**

"Ned you have to call him back. It has been an year Ned. Whatever it was that you wanted him to do you can send some of your bannermen to do it. Please recall our son." Catelyn begged

"Cat he is a good kid and he is strong. He is needed in Essos. Lord Manderly reports that trade has incresed ten fold with essos in the last one year alone. Pentos, Braavos, Myr and even Tyrosh has begun to trade with us. Our own trade fleets are growing like never before and the North itself has prospered in this single year alone. Already I am having lords sending marriage requests for our son. He is doing a fine job as is his duty. Do you really want me to pull our son from making a name of himself." Ned asked his wife with a hint of pride as he talked about his eldest son

"I am also proud of him. But Ned his siblings don't even know him properly. I am his mother Ned. I need to see him. My boy is only ten and two. I want him back in his home with his family not in some foreign land." Catelyn shouted

"Fine. I will send a letter to lord Manderly to bring him back. Robb stays in contact with lord Wyman all the time. He will be here before this year ends. I promise you." Ned said to calm down his enraged wife

"He better be." Cat said as she stormed out of their room.

Eddard sighed as he took a quill snd began to write a letter to the lord of white harbour. He didn't know how Robb managed to convince him so that he can go to Essos. Strangely he could not say no to his son in many things even if he want to. Atleast Robb is doing very well in whatever he was doing in Essos. The results itself spoke highly of his son's ability. Fourty galleons were under construction on Sea dragon point. Another twenty long ships were under construction on Stony shore and Cape Kraken. They will ultimately secure the Norther shores from Ironborn incursions in the future. Then there was the new roads being built in the North. It was also moving smoothly and the only thing slowing it down was the manpower. Something that his son had promised him to find a solution soon. Truly he was lucky to have such a brilliant son.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE :**

**Thank you for all of your support. This story was written based on a popular opinion I asked about a Rheagar twin SI. Most of the messages I recieved asked me to write a HP/ GOT crossover. But there are already many such stories with Harry Potter himself as an SI. So I made a little twist to put a killer with the memories and abilities of Voldemort in GOT. In a world of killers I think such a guy is best.** **I**** am a great fan of Voldemort. I like his punch line dialogue in book one, "There is no good or evil. There is only power and those who are weak to seek it." So I am trying to reflect this ideal here. Hope I have succeeded in it.** **Also**** I would like to say this early. There will be no Blackfyre plot in this story. So Blackfyre fans, please accept my humble appologies. Also no early meeting between Targaryens and Robb. They would meet eventually.** **Oh**** I almost forgot. No Ice dragons as well. That would be a waste when the Night King comes. Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you.**


	3. Dragons, Slaves & Money

Robb walked through the market place that led to the Red Temple. He was here to buy something that could help him before he entered the Red Temple. He began to observe the various merchants that selled their products. Some of them selling slaves as well and that too at a very low price. How shocking riiight. He was scanning the minds of each slaver merchents until he came across one that stood out to him. Robb moved closer to the slaver. He looked at the mother and her two children that stood behind him with slave collars on their necks. They had the classic Valarian look. All silver hair and purple eyes. Her two female children might be older than him by one or two years.

"Come come. Buy one pleasure slave for a single silver coin." the slaver said

"I wish to buy the merchandise." Robb said to the slaver in high Valarian

"How many." the slaver asked

"All three of them." Robb said

"That will be three silver coins." the slaver said

"No it won't be." Robb said as he casted the imperious curse on the slaver.

"I am from westeros. If you want to escape from this hell hole come with me." Robb said to the mother and her children

They fearfully looked at the slaver.

"He won't be bothering you. Come." Robb said

The mother and her two children shuffled forward to his side.

"Come my dear slaver. I have a very good use for you." Robb commanded and the slaver also followed him

Robb led them towards the Red Temple. On the way he asked their names. "I am Sheana my lord. My children are named Leana and Serena. They are twins."

As they entered the temple a priestess was waiting for them.

"I am Kinvara. The high priestess of Rhllor. I saw you in the flames Robb Stark. What do you seek." She said serenely

"A weapon to combat the coming darkness. One that can strike a blow to the great Other." Robb said

"Only Lightbringer can destroy the great other. Do you believe yourself to be Azor Ahai." Kinvara asked with a patronizing smirk

"I do not know. But I know that I must fight in the Great war. I only need your flames for this process and the blessings of the Red god." Robb said

"Very well. Let's see what you can do." Kinvara said with a frown

Robb took out his wand and began drawing a runic array on the floor. Within minutes he finished the circle and began to charge it with his magic.

"Slaver sit in this circle." Robb said

The slaver obeyed without protest. Robb took out his trunk from his pocket and enlarged it. Kinvara, Sheana and the twins looked surprised at that. Robb took out the dragon egg and placed it on the slaver's body. Robb used his wand to create a small cut on his wrist. Blood began to rush out and he placed his bleeding hand over the egg. The black outer layer of the egg became red in colour as his blood covered it completely. After that Robb stood up and moved away from the circle and healed his wrist wirh a simple episky.

"Now if you please." Robb said as he looked at Kinvara expectantly

Kinvara walked forward and touched the head of the slaver. She began chanting in High Valarian and the man caught fire. Kinvara quickly stepped back and Robb quickly casted an immobulus at the slaver. The fire began to burn away the flesh and his tortured screams echoed in the halls of the Red Temple. The runes glowed a golden colour and the flames gradually got snuffed out. A soft trill sounded from the smoke and a blue dragon stepped out of the runic circle. Robb kneeled and the baby dragon stumbled towards him. He placed his hand on the floor and the dragon climbed upon his hand and looked at him expectantly. He placed the dragon inside his trunk on a seperate dimension and closed the trunk. He shrunk it and put it in his pocket and turned towards Kinvara who was shell shocked by the turn of events.

"Thank you my lady. You have been of great service." Robb said

"How is this possible. Are you really Azor Ahai." Kinvara asked in confusion

"I do not know. Perhaps it is not our duty to know. But I know I have a role to play." Robb said

"You are the first person after decades to bring dragons into our world. I believe you have more than a role to play. I do not know whether you are Azor Ahai or not. But you are certainly favoured by our lord. When the time comes our order will aid you for the battle against the great other." Kinvara promised

Robb gave a small bow and turned towards Sheana and her children. Robb conjured a rope and casted a 'Portus' spell on it turning the rope into a portkey. He made them take the rope and they were whisked away from the temple.

The portkey deposited them in the free city of Lys. There he began to buy a large number of slaves consisting of Pleasure slaves, builders, weavers, brewers, translators, smiths and anyone with any skill. In the end he ended up buying more than 400 slaves. But he picked them after scanning their surface thoughts. Then he portkeyed to the free city of Myr and took many glass makers. He used the memory charm and a lot of leglimency to influence their minds to come with him. After setting fire on the buildings and leaving some burnt slavers to avoid any suspicion he used the portkey to take the glass makers into Lys. Then again he went to Tyrosh. There he began to buy 600 slaves with a similar specification. He hired 15 ships to take the slaves to the North from Tyrosh and then portkeyed to Lys again. There he hired ten ships to take the slaves and the glass makers to the North.

Within the ship he began breaking the slave collars and threw them into the sea.

"From now on you are free. Free to forge your own destiny in the free land of the North. In return for your freedom I only ask for your loyalty to me and to the Old gods of forest." Robb said

That was more than enough for the slaves and he did the same thing with the slaves he purchased from Tyrosh as the ships from Lys caught upto the ships of Tyrosh. It was a long voyage that awaited them and he had one more stop before he made landfall in Westeros. Robb portkeyed away from the ship.

**Braavos 292 AC**

Robb walked up the steps of the Iron Bank with a Valarian steel sword tied to his hip. The ornate doors stayed open to anyone but unless one have a significant potential in the eyes of bankers of Braavos one would not be able to obtain an audience with the council of Iron Bank. But for Robb Stark the council will give an audience.

Robb gave his sword to the guard that stood outside a room and he entered the chamber. Just as he thought, the room was empty save himself. The bankers and their power plays. He made himself comfortable on a plain looking chair and waited. The door opened once again and the council members shuffled in one by one and took their seats opposite to him behind a table.

"So Robb Stark we have heard of your reputation even here in Braavos. Your family employs a great many Braavosi in the North afterall. What brings you to the Iron Bank." one of the bankers asked

"I am here to avail a loan of two million gold dragons." Robb said

"Straight to the point unlike other Westerosi lords we have dealt with. But tell me lord Stark. What guarantee can you give us you will repay this much amount back and with interest. The Iron throne itself owes us a substantial amount of gold dragons and now you are asking for a loan that is a very huge sum." another banker said

"I will repay the loan within two years with interest and if you are worried about my ability to pay I can match the amount with an object of same value as collateral." Robb said

"What would that be." the banker asked

"I know a westerosi lord who would pay more than two million gold dragons for a Valarian Steel sword in Westerlands. If you give me the loan I require, I can give you a Valarian Steel sword as collateral until I repay the loan." Robb offered

"So you would be offering Ice, the ancestral sword of House Stark." one banker asked as he leaned forward in interest

"No. My father is the owner of that sword. I have another sword. If you want to see it I can show you right now. The guard outside this room has it." Robb said

The bankers looked at each other. One of them took a bell and ringed it two times. The guard opened the door and came in.

"Do you have Lord Robb's sword with you." one of the bankers asked

"Yes sir" the guard said showing the sheathed sword in his hand

"Unsheath it." the banker ordered

The guard unsheathed the sword and they all saw the dark blue ripples on the surface of the blade. The blade itself was completely blue in colour except for the guard which was painted red.

"It is my personal sword. I have named it Bane. Are you satisfied with the deal I propose." Robb asked

"Indeed we are satisfied. Now all that is left is some minor details." with that some boring hours of negotiations took place to hash out the details. In the end the Iron Bank agreed to give the loan as four instalments in four months. As a sign of goodwill they allowed him to keep the sword on the condition that it would be handed over to them if he failed to pay up in two years time.

Actually he had no need for a loan from the Iron Bank. But the other great houses and the small council will undoubtedly inquire about the sudden wealth of Starks. Maybe that weasel Baelish will even manipulate the king to ask for a loan from house Stark and refusing Robert might be a political disaster at this point in time. That is what made him seek out the Iron Bank for a loan. Undoubtedly Varys will learn about it at some point and naturally convey this information to the small council and that would be the end of it. Another potential problem will be the slaves themselves. There will be a stiff resistance when he bring them to the North but he had no choice. This was the only way he could populate the North in a short timeframe. But he had an idea to soothe the ruffled feathers of the Northern lords. But for that to happen he needed to do one more thing.

Robb began to cut some deals with some merchents of Braavos. Northerners were the favourites to trade for the people of Braavos. Out of all the seven kingdoms they were the simplest people while the other kingdoms adopted a bigoted outlook to anyone else even in trade. But the problem for Braavos was that the North was very poor and the sistermen pirates always were a nuisance for trade. But now that the North is becoming more rich and their sea power outstripping the sistermen and actively hunting down the pirates trade began to pick up very fast. So it was easy for him to cut deals with Braavosi merchents.

After that was done Robb payed the captain of a Northern trade vessel to take him along to the North. He ofcourse kept his identity a secret for the time being. After retiring to his cabin he spelled the doors to magically lock itself. Then he portkeyed into his slave ships. There Robb began to mark every slaves with a modified version of Morsmodre. The new mark came as a circular line on the wrists of each slaves. After he marked all the former slaves the mark dissappeared from view as he did not want anyone to identify them with this mark. The mark was a binding magical shackle that bound their lives to him. If anyone betrayes him his magic will kill them from the inside and also he added a compulsion to obey his every command. Essentially they all became his own slaves in a sense. The ships were just passing through the sea near Storm lands. It would take months for these ships to reach the North.

After his little dark lordly activities Robb portkeyed back to the Northern Trade vessel and layed down on the bed. He now have a two and a half week sailing to look forward to and he just know how to use this time productively. By planning the demise of his enemies and if you ask who his enemies are, there is a simple answer. Everyone except himself.

**Kings Landing 292 AC**

Varys walked to the small council room with a reserved look on his face but on the inside he was satisfied, content and happy even. Because right now his little birds were singing songs of the woes of the roses in the Reach, Lions in the West, Krakens in the Iron Islands and even some discontent from the lords of Riverlands. While he didn't necessarily enjoy the bad fortunes of anyone in principle that does not mean he could atleast enjoy the suffering of the haughty lords of these lands and he had the North to thank for that. As the North began to prosper the other Kingdoms began to stagnate and they achieved this all by themselves. King Robert has not even provided any help for the family of his old friend and if the songs from his little birds in North sing true then he must personally thank Robb Stark, the heir of Winterfell. A brilliant and resourceful lad if the songs are true. Now Jon Arryn seems to have called an emergency council.

Varys has also heard there has been some problems in the Vale but this time it was from the sistermen rather than the Mountain clans. But it will be a matter of time before they come into the songs as well as rarely an year goes by without a raid orchastrated by the Mountain clans in Vale. Varys entered the small council chambers and he found Jon Arryn and Petyr Baelish already present. He was greeted by a nod in his direction by both which he returned and he took a seat opposite to the master of coin.

Now here was a man that he both admire and despise at the same time. Petyr Baelish came fom humble backgrounds. He used his intellect, resourcefulness and cunning to get here. So Varys admired this man. But at the same time he despise him for the way in which he plays the game. This man is utterly ruthless. There is no limit to his greed and seeks to create chaos everywhere and profit from such a chaos. No concern for anyone but himself and above all he desires the Iron Throne. All in all the most dangerous man in Westeros and the greatest threat to its people.

The other members began to arrive one by one into the council chamber. Surprisingly King Robert had decided to attend the small council meeting. Varys stood up and bowed as Robert took his seat at the head of the table.

"Your grace." they all murmured in greeting

"Sit down the lot of ya. Now Jon you asked me here and here I am. Now what is this all about." Robert asked

"I thought your grace would like to hear some good news from the North." Jon said to get the king's interest. A clever ploy by the Lord Hand, Varys thought

"From the North you say. What has Ned been upto. Is he coming to Kings landing." Robert asked eagerly

"Don't get your hopes up Robert. Let Ned have some peace. After all that has befallen the Starks let him enjoy the peace and quiet for a change and from the news we are getting from the North Eddard has more reasons to be happy." Jon Arryn said

"Well tell us then. Don't keep it a suspense." Robert said

"It seems half of North is experiencing a spring season while everything North of Winterfell is still submerged in snow and biting cold. With this turn of fortune Eddard has managed to make his people farm the Northern lands and yielded a very big harvest. For the first time the North is feeding itself." Jon said

"But that is not without it's own problem your grace. Now that the North is producing everything they need themselves the other kingdoms like Reach, Riverlands and Westerlands are struggling to sell their harvest. This essentially means a large portion of harvest in Westeros is being spoiled and the lords of these kingdoms are suffering from serious loss in their business." Petyr Baelish explained

"Ha so the Tyrells and Lannisters are running their funds dry. Good. Very good. The fat flower can now eat all the excess food in the reach and get more fatter or perhaps more poorer. Ha Ha hahahaha..." Robert smacked the table with his fist laughing uproaringly. Varys looked at Renly and saw a pained expression on the face of the youngest Baratheon brother but he kept his tongue.

"Well this is also a good matter for us as well Robert. As you know the harvests in Stormlands, Vale and Dorne are only a little better than that of the North. With the North now producing everything they want the merchents must now sell their corps at a lower price to our people and Kings landing completely depend on Reach and Crown lands. So our expenses are now very low and the people are also very happy for it. So all in all everybody is happy except for the Reach lords who are selling their harvests at the lowest price imaginable in the history of seven kingdoms." Jon Arryn said with a smile

"Good. It is high time the North get some good prosperity. They are good people you know. Even during the rebellion they never followed my orders even with Ned around but after fighting together they would fiercely protect me even with their lives if they had to. While some of my own troops would rather save their own lives. Those days were the good times. You remember that Jon." Robert asked looking glassy eyed thinking about the glories of the past

"Well that is not all Robert. Ned's first born is also now becoming very famous in the North and Vale." Jon said

"Robb Stark was it not. Named after myself." Robert said with obvious happiness as his dear friend honoured him like that

"Yes Robb Stark. It seems he inherited much of the best qualities from Tullys and Starks. He has mamanaged to expand the trade fleets of North and now the trade with Braavos has increased five fold in just one year alone further benefitting the North. This has also helped to increase trade in Vale as well. North, Vale and Braavos is now having a strong trade relations. Many of the coastal lords of the Vale were in a financial crisis for some time. But now that trade has picked up and the influx of ship traffics increasing they are experiencing a strong influx of wealth. This is not just affecting the Nobility but also helping the smallfolk as well. As more and more business is happening every day. I didn't even know some of my lords were struggling like that until they sent me ravens expressing their gratitude for my help which I obviously did not. I have already dispatched some ravens to clarify with them and they should thank the person really responsible, Robb Stark." Jon Arryn said with obvious happiness

"As high as honour eh Jon." Robert said with a knowing smile

"Yes. As high as honour." Jon Arryn said with a modest smile

"The piracy in the seas has also decreased. While the royal fleet do not project it's influence near north we still recieved many complaints from the Braavosi merchents and from White harbour regarding the sistermen. But now that the Northern fleet has took to the seas the piracy from three sisters are non existent. " Stannis said with a stern expression

"I am glad for that. The sistermen nominally is under the control of Vale. But the truth is we cannot force them to do anything. I have heard the complaints about the piracy of sistermen from the time of Rickard Stark. No matter what I did the sistermen never listened and the Vale never kept any large enough fleets to threaten them. But with the Northern fleet expanding the coasts are clear of pirates and the Vale itself is benefitting from it." Jon Arryn said

"That is not all my lords. The North is now building a modest fleet in Cape Kraken, Stoney shore and Sea dragon point. It is a clear warning for the Ironborn reavers to stay away from the Northern shores. Lord Eddard and his son has become cautious after the Greyjoy rebellion against his grace which is a good thing as the raids of Ironborn often target Deepwood Motte and the Forresters." Varys said as a complement to the Warden of North

"Well it seems Ned got lucky with a good heir unlike me." Robert said darkly thinking about that cunt of his son. He really should have smashed the prick after his little stunt with that pregnant cat

With that the small council fell silent sensing the dark mood of the king.

"So where is Robb Stark now. " Robert asked dispelling his darker thoughts

"Last we heard he was in Braavos your grace. It seems like the young Stark seems to have developed a love for traveling. It has been one year since the Stark heir left for Essos." Varys answered

" Keep me informed of his progress. He is named after me afterall." Robert said

"Yes your grace." Varys said

"Well now we can come to some more matters that are important namely the incresead tax revenues from from crownlands, North and Vale." Jon Arryn started and Robert groaned as all the good stuff were over and now the counting coppers began.

XXXXXXXXXX

Petyr Baelish threw the wine glass in his hand against the wall of one of his brothel. He was shaking with rage as his carefully laid out traps for some Vale lords have gone up in smoke. Years of planning, blackmail, subterfuge, stealing and manipulations all gone to waste just because of a Stark of all things. The world seems to mock him now and then and that too with his Cat's son. He should have been more vigilant when Jon Arryn started to get many ravens from the Vale. He assumed it was some usual lip service the warden of East recieved from some petty lords. His contacts in the Vale and North were warning him of some changes happening but he assumed it was nothing important as he was already busy with stealing from the crown in kings landing. But now he was angry at himself for never planning any countermeasures for the rise of North into it's own making. Now everything was out of hands and the momentum is on the side of Starks. But still he was not a fool. He will find some way to stem their rise somehow. He was the Mockingbird afterall. The game is not won with one move after all there are still many pawns in his hand and his ability was not to play against an enemy but rather making someone else play the game for him by his own terms while he himself could never be found on the board. He is the invisible king of the Great Game.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE : **

**Thank you guys for your support. It means alot. I wanted to add more POv's in the chapter but I became lazy and decided to do it on another chapter. But don't worry O won't fuck this up like the Red Dragon. That was a train wreck. I am a guy with little patience. Different ideas just pop up in my head and I try to twist the story to suite that needs but in the process I drop the ball so to speak. That's what happened with my other stories.****Anyway now the reaction from Kings landing is up and a small insight into Varys and Baelish has been highlighted. Now all that is left is the reaction of Riverlands, Reach and the other Northern lords.****Also someone pointed out to me about experimenting with the dragons, direwolfs and whatnot like Hagrid did with the blast ended skrewts. Well there is no reason for the SI to do that now does he. Also Voldemort himself considered magical beasts as weak unless it was a basilisk and even then we saw how Tom Riddle reacted in the Chamber of Secrets. So no point in bringing such monstrosity into the GOT when the SI already uas the dragons. If it was the magical world that may have worked to 'some' extend. But a good idea for having some fun.****Then there was this idea of using Parseltongue to speak to Dragons. I don't know who came up with this idea in the fics first but it is something I personally don't agree with. Dragons 'ROAR' and Snakes 'HISS'. There is a very big difference between these two creatures. I am not completely against the idea but my mind simply refuses to use it. I have too much respect for the Dragons so I won't bring them down to the category of snakes. Dragons are the undisputed rulers of Sky while snakes are merely surviving in the land. So there is a very big difference. Atleast that's my opinion.****Anyway any suggestions for the Dragon's name will be appreciated. Even Valarian names.**


	4. Septons are overrated Let's kill them

Robb entered the secured compartment in his trunk. As he opened the compartment door he was bombarded with the rays of a rising sun. Robb closed the doir slowly and walked further into the grassland and beneath a lush green tree the small dragon rested it's head on a small rock. Robb closed in on the dragon and scratched it's head lightly making it purr like a cat. The dragon opened it's eyes and saw him sitting close to it. The little fellow climbed into his lap with some struggle and seemed to look at him expectantly and screeched. Robb put a plate of fried pork on his lap near the dragon. That seems to attract the dragon as it stumbled into the plate and began to eat every single pieces slowly munching on the fried meat. Robb looked at the sizable lake before him as well as a modest mountain filled to the brim with trees. Now all this dimension needed was some animals and fish which will become a natural habitat for his dragon to thrive on. It was not easy to create this facility but for someone with the magical knowledge of the Dark lord Voldemort many things were possible. Now he won't have to worry about finding his little dragon a home anywhere else.

Now he thought about what he should call the dragon. But before that he needed to try something that has been bugging his mind. Robb hissed a few commands in Parseltongue to the dragon to see if it could understand. The dragon stopped eating the pork and looked at him as if Robb had lost his mind. He felt a little foolish and the dragon went back to munching on the pork but sometimes the little blighter would look at him as if Robb had a few screws loose on the head. Well he can't be blamed for this embarrassing moment as all the fanfictions he read has mentioned Parseltongue could be used to speak to dragons. But now he know that was a load of crap.

He then tried another route by asking the dragon to roll on the plate in High Valarian. The dragon had an amused look on it's face but it obliged and rolled on the plate and stood up looking at him indignantly. Robb could not hold it any longer as he laughed at the dragon's action. It was really funny to watch a small dragon roll on the ground so sue him. The dragon seemed to not like that as it screeched at him. Robb stoped his laughter and looked at the dragon with a smile. It seems any commands given in High Valarian seems to work well with dragons. Maybe the language helps to channel magic that can somehow influence dragons like Parseltongue does for snakes. With Robb wielding magic and the ritual that binded the dragon to him by his blood might also play a factor in the obedience of his dragon. Now he has to name the dragon.

Robb looked at the young dragon as it munched on the food. It was a blue dragon with silver stripes on its neck and wings. He had so many names for it but decided to call it Starfyre and the dragon seems to like it's new name seeing as it responded to the name more and more as time moved on. Robb had to apparate away to bring more food for Starfyre. He began to fill the dimension with sheeps, cows, pigs, Buffaloes and Rabbits. As Starfyre grow he would need a large diet so these animals would give him the perfect diet to grow large and strong. Much of the days Robb spent in his trunk was for establishing a mental bond with Starfyre. As the dragon grows the capacity of its mind would increse to a great level. So Robb had to establish a link with Starfyre now while it was still developing it's mind. Finally after two weeks his ship came near White Harbour.

The city of White Harbour was now filled to the brim with people rushing in and out as the trade had climbed to new heights like never seen before. There were so many merchants selling their products and a large number of ships docking at the ports of White Harbour, most of them from Vale and Braavos. After leaving the ship Robb met with lord Manderly to inform him about his deals with the Iron Bank and some prominent merchants. He decided not to inform lord Manderly about the slaves as he had to do some things in the North before their arrival.

Lord Manderly insisted Robb to stay a week in White Harbour but finally Robb settled to stay three days as a guest of house Manderly. During that time lord Wyman seems to be of the mind to push the eldest daughter named Wynafryd Manderly of his heir Ser Wylis Manderly to make an impression on Robb. Robb played along with their attempts at matchmaking as this provided him with a unique opportunity for his first phase of the plan that he had hatched. For the next three days he suffered the company of Wynafryd Manderly. He had to go together with her to the ports, eat dinners together and finally they even went to the sept together.

It was in the sept that he made his move. It was very easy for him to implant certain compulsions inside the mind of the septons and septas. Strong compulsions that will make them do his bidding and in the process a religious unrest that would explode in the city of White Harbour. But it would not take place today. No the time would come soon enough.

Robb said farewells to the Manderlys as he sailed through the White Knife river towards Winterfell with a group of guards, courtesy of Lord Wyman on the evening of the third day. By dawn they reached the Kings road near Winterfell. A small port facility has been setup on the river bank. Robb and the guards took some horses and rode into Winterfell through Wintertown. Jon and Jory Cassel were the first to greet Robb upon his arrival. Jory took the reins of the horse as his feet touched the ground. Robb was promptly pulled into a hug by Jon which he returned as well.

"You became taller." Jon said looking at Robb

"Maybe you became smaller." Robb said jokingly

Robb was once again pulled into a hug but this time by Catelyn Tully. From there everything was a bit of a blur as Robb was dragged inside the castle by his mother all the while berating him for staying away from home for so long.

**XXXXXXXX**

"So tell me Jon. How was Winterfell in my absence." Robb asked as they walked towards the training yard

"The weather seems to hold somehow as you noticed. More and more workers are needed for extending the King's road towards Torrhen's square, Ramsgate and Sea dragon point. Then again lord Stark would have to pull out more men from the farms for that." Jon answered

"How is our resident squid doing." Robb asked

"Theon. He is a cunt." Jon said

"I'm not surprised. That whole family is full of cunts. Did you know the Ironborn rapes and kills women and children. I think his family and his entire people should have been killed. That way everyone would be safe." Robb said

"You are speaking of committing genocide Robb." Jon whispered uncomfortably

"No. I'm talking about saving our people from murder, rape and slavery. Did you know the Ironborn takes men and women to their islands in raids and turn them into thralls another name for a slave. They are the worst people in the world. Even in Essos they are hated and they are calling themselves lords. Bloody pirates the lot of them." Robb said in anger

"I don't know about all that but Theon is the worst." Jon said with a closed off expression

"Why. Is he hard on you." Robb asked

Before Jon could answer Theon came into the yard.

"Come on then. Let's show the bastard how the trueborn sons of lords fight. Join me Robb." Theon said as he walked towards them with two practice swords and handed one to Robb.

Robb took the sword from Theon's hand and walked into the yard standing opposite to each other. Ser Rodrick were giving instructions but Robb chanced a look at Jon and watched his solemn face. Robb gave a small smile and concentrated on Theon.

Theon rushed at Robb with the blunted sword but Robb sidestepped the charge with a spin and struck Theon across the back with his sword as hard as he could. Theon fell face first into the ground from his blow. Jon laughed in glee as he saw Theon rise from the ground with his mouth full of dirt.

"Shut it bastard." Theon sneered and turned around and swung his sword hoping to catch Robb by surprise. Robb ducked the swing and punched Theon in the face with his left hand that made the squid fall on his back.

"I thought you were a lord's son. Seems to me you are not one. Jon would give me a better challenge than you can ever provide." Robb said with a mocking laugh

That seems to do the trick as Theon stood up with an enraged yell and began to swing his sword madly at Robb. The Stark heir blocked all the strikes with ease as he backpedaled slowly until he switched tactics and suddenly moved forward and began striking Theon with his blade. The quick change was unexpected for Theon who hesitated to defend and that was when Robb kicked Theon on his knee.

Theon managed to catch himself by stabbing his sword into the ground but he lost his sword when Robb kicked it away and caught Theon by his neck. Then Robb gave three punches to Theon's face making him bleed and threw him to the ground at Ser Rodrik's feet.

"Do you know why I punched you trash." Robb asked

"Answer me." Robb snarled as he kicked Theon on his ribs

"I don't know." Theon cried

"Then I will educate you. You will not address my brother with hostility ever again. You will not call my brother a bastard ever again and finally I don't want you anywhere near my sisters. Am I understood trash." Robb asked as he kicked Theon's head

"Yes." Theon moaned out in pain

"What did you say before entering the yard.You were the son of a lord? No, you are the son of a rapist, murderer, thief, pirate and a slaver. In short your father is trash and so you are trash as well. That is all you are. You are a hostage here trash. Nothing more, nothing less. Am I understood." Robb asked as he pressed his foot on Theon's heart

"Yes" Theon managed to say and the pressure on his chest was removed

"Ser Rodrick, you will not allow this fool in the training yard and he will not ever see a sword or any kind of weapon during his stay here. He is a prisoner of war. We will not be arming him so that he can later come to the North to kill our men and rape our women. Am I clear." Robb asked the old Knight

"Yes Lord Robb." the knight responded

"Good. Now Theon why don't you go and tie the lace of my brother's boots. It seems to be loose. Go on." Robb said with a little heat towards the end

Theon somehow managed to pull himself up and tied up the loose lace on Jon's boots.

"So Theon I hope you learned the first lesson. No one insults or disrespects my brother. I will bring them down beneath my feet and crush the life out of them even if it is a god. Am I clear." Robb asked

"Yes sir." Theon mumbled

"Good. Go and wash horses in the stables. Soon I will have you doing more productive jobs that are suitable for someone like you." Robb said

Theon hung his head low as he ran away from the laughs of the surrounding people in the yard.

"Now Jon come on in. A Northerner is much better than a hundred squids any day in my book." Robb shouted as the surrounding men cheered on Jon into the yard and the real practice started.

**XXXXXXXX**

"You have to talk to Robb, Ned. He cannot behave like this. Beating around a lord paramount's son around and in broad daylight infront of all those people. What was he thinking." Catelyn complained

"You know I didn't want to bring Theon here. Robert just sort of thrusted him upon me and I could not refuse and that boy thinks he is from great family when all his family and his people are a bunch of pirates. It's better if Robb beats some sense into him. I have already had many complaints from the smallfolk because of Theon." Eddard said

"You always encourage Robb. You never stop him from doing anything he want." Catelyn complained

"Only because Robb has yet do anything wrong. If he do something I don't think is right, I will stop him. You have my word." Eddard promised

A few weeks after the incident with Theon a raven came from White Harbour. Maester Luwin collected the message and gave it to Edddard Stark. As the lord of Winterfell read the note his face became more grimm.

"Maester call Catelyn and Robb as well. I have to inform you all about something." Eddard said

The old maester left the room and returned with his wife and son.

"What happened Ned." Catelyn asked

"A raven came from White Harbour. Wynafryd Manderly, the grand-daughter of lord Wyman has been raped and killed by the septon of white harbour. Not only that but the septas tried to burn the body inorder to hide the body and any evidence of the act but they were caught red handed in the act by several guards of house Manderly. When the guards questioned the septas further they admitted to doing this to many Northern women over the years. The sept has been burned to the ground and lord Manderly himself took the head of the septon. There is a religious unrest in white harbour right now. House Manderly is requesting aid from us." Eddard informed them

"How could this happen. A septon killing a young girl and that too a member of a lordly house like Manderlys." Catelyn asked in shock

"It does not matter who or what he is. This is a crime that cannot go unpunished. Father you must call all the major houses of North to march on White Harbour. While we won't be needing their armies we would be needing the presence of all lords as witnesses. This is a religious matter and the Southern lords may interfere. So a show of strength and unity would be better in this matter." Robb adviced

"You are right. Maester Luwin, ask all the lords of North to meet me in White Harbour at their earliest convenience. I will personally march our own guards to White Harbour and take control of the city. Robb will also be coming with me." Eddard said and the maester nodded his agreement and left the room.

"Do you have to take our son with you. You have your bannermen with you Ned." Catelyn asked

"Robb will have to one day do this on his own. He must get familiar with other lords as well." Eddard said

"Father is correct mother. I would have to do this on my own in the future. It is better if I am with father and get to know the other lords." Robb said

In the end Catelyn had to watch as her eldest son rode along with her husband to White Harbour. Some of the Stark soldiers took a few boats from the White Knife river and sailed to White Harbour directly.

**WHITE HARBOUR 292 AC**

Lord Wyman Manderly didn't know what to do. His ancestors were exiled from the Reach by the Gardeners fearing their growing influence. At that time when no other kingdoms would give them a safe heaven the Starks of the North helped them and gave them lands far larger than they could have ever hoped for. From that moment on the Manderlys were absolutely loyal to house Stark. But the whole of North opposed them and still saw them as outsiders because they kept to the faith of Seven. Even though the Starks were followers of the Old gods they never judged the faith of Manderlys. Perhaps the Starks should have been more firmer with his ancestors, lord Wyman thought.

Now his family is paying for the mistakes their ancestors made. The Manderly's faith was one of the main reasons thet they could not marry a daughter of their house to the Starks of Winterfell. But after years of hard work and loyal service they were finally about to join houses with the Starks through his granddaughter and Robb Stark. Now his first grandchild has been murdered by those scum. Lord Wyman finally came to a decision. His family will no longer follow the Seven. He will do what his ancestors failed to do. His family from now on will only pray to the Old gods. He heard a knock on the door of his room.

"Come in." lord Wyman said

"Father the Starks are here." Wendel Manderly said

"I will present myself before them." lord Wyman said as he stood up. They walked down to the hall where they saw the lord of Winterfell and his heir consoling Wylis Manderly.

"Lord Wyman, we are sorry for your loss. If you need any help in any matters please don't hesitate to ask." Eddard said

"As a matter of fact we do need your help my lord. I have decided that house Manderly will no longer follow the faith of Seven. We would like to take up the Old gods of forest." Lord Wyman said

"Lady Wynafryd was a sweet girl and a good friend. House Stark will support house Manderly in this matter my lord. If you have not done what you did with the septon then we would have did it ourselves. But what about the other members of the sept. Surely they will also be punished." Robb said

"They will be hanged for their treachery lord Robb." Wylis Manderly said

"They deserve worse. But this will do. We can do this in the presence of all the lords of North. It would send a strong message" Robb said

In the next few days the lords of North arrived in full. In their presence the septas and poor fellows were hanged for their heinous crimes. House Whitehill alone protested this course of action as they were followers of the faith of seven. It was also before all the lords of North, lord Wyman abandoned the faith and took the religion of Old gods. Any symbols and effigies of the Seven were completely destroyed which enraged the Whitehills even further and they left White Harbour to their home. In the following days anyone that tried to protest on behalf of the new gods were either put to death, sent to the wall or even thrown overboard the ships in the middle of seas. Eddard also promised to help plant Weirwood trees in White Harbour. Before they all left Robb did a little surprise for the Manderlys.

After one day passed Lord Wyman was woken up by the knocking on his door.

"Father wake up. You have to see this." Wendel said excitedly frim the other side of the door.

Wendel led his father towards the place where his cousin was buried. A large number of people were surrounding the place but they could all see a gigantic wierwood tree on her place. As Wendel and Wyman came to the forefront they could clearly see the face of Wynafryd Manderly neatly carved upon the tree. The tree was huge outgrowing their own castle in height in just one night. Already people were talking about how Wynafryd became one with the Old gods and returned to this land to safeguard it from the heathens of Seven. Within a month the entire White Harbour converted back to Old gods.

Robb did not feel much satisfaction in the smooth execution of the plan. Afterall he have one more target to destroy to truly unify the North under the banners of the Old gods. His next target would be the Whitehills but that can wait as his mother was in labour and finally towards the end of the year 292 AC, Rickon Stark was born. Now the pack was fully complete.

**HIGHGARDEN**** 292 AC**

"Mother, have you heard the news from North. Who do they think they are executing the septons and septas and now when we asked for an explanation ths is the response house Stark send us. " Mace said as he handed the letter to his mother

Olena Tyrell took th letter from her son and read through it's content and promptly gave it to her granddaughter to see what she makes of it. Margery took the letter and read it outloud.

_Mace Tyrell_

_Warden of South_

_Lord of Highgarden_

_Anything that happens in the North is our concern. You need not worry about such things as I am sure you have many things to worry about in your own lands. The decision made by House Manderly is fully supported by house Stark and the other Northern lords. Laws are laws and it's might will fall upon any who break the king's peace regardless of their status and position in society._

_Also please refrain from sending any more letters regarding this matter ever again. Your house words are 'growing stronger'. If you are trying to interfere in the matters of North I must warn you "Winter will come' any moment and in Winter only those of the North finds the strength to survive. Ensure your strength do not leave your person. The last time a royal house fell trying to poke into our matters. So take great care of yourself._

_Also send my regards to Olena Tyrell. I hope she lives long and healthy. House Tyrell is blessed to have her as family._

_With best regards_

_Robb Stark_

_Heir of Winterfell_

"So, what do you think granddaughter." Olena asked

"He is asking us to mind our own business." Margery said

"Yes. What else." Olena asked

"He knows about our family very well. Otherwise he would not have mentioned you." Margery said

"Yes. I have met a few Starks in my prime but this one feels a little different. Also, why would the heir write the letter rather than Eddard Stark himself. This means only one thing my dear. There is a new player in the game. I shall look more closely into the North and this Robb Stark." Oleana said

"But mother. The boy insulted me." Mace whined

"Oh shut up you oaf." Oleana said

**CASTERLY ROCK 292 AC**

Tywin looked through the window of his room and watched the seas. The Ironborn rebellion has been very costly for the Westerlands than anyone ever realised. The entirety of the Lannister fleet has been burned down in a single night. Then all his bannermen lost their own fleets as well as skilled ship builders, smiths, merchants and so many more. Lannisport was sacked and burned and most of the people taken as thralls by the Ironborn. After the war was won only few returned back to the Westerlands seeing as most of them were broken by the Ironborn. The cost that takes to rebuild the entire infrastructure again for himself was very costly so one can imagine the difficulty his bannermen faced. The main problem was the fleet.

Westerlands had a huge merchant fleet that was now lost and it was too much expensive and time consuming for building it all up to its previous strength. Then like a disaster the rise of North happened. Suddenly out of nowhere the climate of the North shifted and it became more fertile and habitable overnight. To fill the shortfall of funds he had been prepared to increase the price of exports to the North and Vale. But suddenly the North became self-sufficient and the harvest of Westerlands spoiled without a buyer. The Reach and North beat him to the punch so to speak as they both sold their crops to the Vale effectively destroying that venue as well. He could not approach Dorne with any trade deals as they would likely spit on his deals and his pride would not allow him to reach out to his enemies. King's landing and crownlands already made deals with Riverlands and Reach. So Westerlands had to incure more loss and Tywin had to stop the construction of fleets and repairs done on the ports to stop a complete economic fall.

As if this was not enough the miners are informing the mines are running dry. That news really shook Tywin to his core. The power of Lannisters came from the gold they possess. Now that was running dry. But there was not an immediate threat as the Lannisters were the undisputed power in Westerlands due to his actions. But after his time his legacy must live on and now his hopes rested on his son Jaime and his daughter Cersei not that monster of a dwarf. Already Cersei has become the queen of Seven kingdoms and soon her son will sit the Iron throne and then he will make his grandson to dismiss Jaime from the Kingsguard which will enable him to take up the mantle as lord of Casterly Rock.

This will happen. The debts of the new Baratheon dynasty ensured this would happen. Not only that he can already see where Robert Baratheon will go and find a wife for Joffrey. A marriage with the Stark girl will ensure North in the Lannister- Baratheon- Stark alliance. A powerful alliance that can strong arm the other kingdoms. With North the Riverlands will also fall into their sphere of influence. Perhaps a Lannister wife for Edmure Tully will ensure their loyalty. Then there is the way he can benefit again if he can approach the Tyrells with a marriage alliance for Jaime. When that plan comes to fruition the position of Lannisters will be truly secured. He can already envision the future. Yes this will strengthen the Lions forever.


	5. Cleaning up the North

After the incident with Manderlys tensions were calming down in the North. One of the good things that happened because of the incident was that, people no longer prayed in the local sept of Winterfell. No one would even go near it and anyone that took up the faith of seven became alienated in the North. So this gave Robb the opportunity to end the Andal faith in the North.

Two days after he returned from White Harbour Robb killed all the Septons and septas in Winterfell using the Killing curse at night while they were sleeping. The next day Winterfell was flowing with rumours of the wrath of Old gods and how they were punishing all Andals by taking their lives in sleep. Finally Eddard put a stop to the sept altogether and shut it down permanently. The only one who was complaining about this was Catelyn. Now only the Whitehills worshipped the seven in North.

House Whitehill of Highpoint is a noble house located north of Winterfell. Even though they are far removed from the lands of Boltons, they are vassals of house Bolton. They are also bitter rivals of house Forrester of Ironrath. Their sigil represents the barren hills on which their seat is situated stripped bare of Ironwood trees centuries ago.

House Whitehill lost their share of Ironwood trees due to unchecked harvesting of the trees. From then on they have been eyeing the Ironwood trees in the lands of Forresters. Unfortunately the Whitehills could not obtain the lands from house Forrester because their rivals were a loyal vassal of house Stark. So the Whitehills have always been cautious in their enmity towards Forresters. But now house Whitehill is led by lord Ludd Whitehill who was a short tempered fool. The lord of Highpoint was of the opinion that his family should have a claim to the Ironwood forests especially now more than ever.

With the North rebuilding its fleets the Ironwood has become a very expensive commodity and the Forresters were becoming considerably wealthy by selling the Ironwood to Starks and Manderlys. There were also rumours of creating a fleet based on Bear Islands completely financed by the Starks and if that was true there is a fortune to be made in selling the Ironwood. But unfortunately for Ludd Whitehill he did not have even a single Ironwood tree in his possession. He had to watch as his rivals claimed all the profits and wealth from the Ironwood trade. He had repeatedly asked the aid of Roose Bolton but he has been repeatedly denied even an audience and was advised by the leech lord to lay low and not to antagonize the Forresters.

As months began to pass Ludd Whitehill became more and more desperate for any way to take control of the Ironwood forests.Then the White Harbour incident happened. It was there lord Whitehill realised how isolated his house was in the North. No other houses supported them when he protested the extreme actions taken by Manderlys and Starks. He has been looking forward to use this venue to influence the Starks to grant them access to the Ironwood forests but Eddard Stark was always surrounded by that brute Umber and Karstark lords. So he planned to introduce his only daughter Gwyn Whitehill to the Strak heir and therby influencing the Starks. But that also failed spectacularly as Robb Stark prefered the company of Smalljon Umber, Asher Forrester and Mira Forrester. Lord Ludd was over the edge because of continuous failures from his part and the decision made in White Harbour pushed him over completely. He was absolutely mad as the Northern lords decided to expell all septons and septas from White Harbour and the Manderlys themselves abandoning the faith of seven. Now the Whitehills were the only house in North that followed the faith of Seven.

It was with a determined mind Ludd Whitehill returned to Highpoint. He has been humiliated infront of all the Northern lords and still could not change the fortunes of his declining house. He was now desperate and a plan began to form in his mind. He has a plan and should it go smoothly it will see his house become strong as he envision. First he must inform his soldiers.

**XXXXXXX**

Lord Gregor Forrester was a happy man. The last few years has been good on him and his family. With the Straks and Manderlys building a huge fleet the Ironwood has become a valuable trade commodity. Before this he was trying to sell the wood to southern lords and he was of a mind to send his daughter Mira Forrester to Highgarden as a handmaiden for Margery Tyrell. But luckly he did not had to as the North finally began to build it's own fleet and the Starks themselves began buying Ironwood from them.

The Starks were always good overlords to have but they always lacked the farsightedness in his personal opinion. Now that seems to be changing and it was for the better in his opinion. A fleet in Stoney shore, Kape Kraken, Sea dragon point, Torrhens Square and Bear Islands means the North will be able to defend against any Ironborn incursions which also protected their Ironwood forests from the Ironborn. The only one not happy with the rise of his family were the Whitehills and frankly he did not care what those fools thought of him and his house. With the Starks on their side they had nothing to fear especially now after the events in White Harbour. While what happened to the Manderly girl was a horrible thing he certainly would not be complaining about the results it generated. The bonus was the Whitehills making a fool of themselves before the assembled lords.

They were even invited to stay in Winterfell for a few days and it was then Gregor got an idea. Instead of sending his daughter Mira to Highgarden he decided to let her stay in Winterfell as a handmaiden for Sansa Stark. It was with this decision he returned to Ironrath with Mira and Asher Forrester.

"Do we really have to send Mira to Winterfell. You were only planning to send her to Highgarden to establish better trade with them in the future. Now that we have it why send our daughter to the Starks." Elissa Forrester asked her husband

"Mira will be close to us my dear wife. The Starks have been very generous with us. It is imperative we establish good relationships with them and Mira serving as Sansa Stark's handmaiden will establish a personal level of friendship with the Starks." Gregor said

"You just want to attract the attention of Robb Stark on our daughter." Elissa accused

"Well that too. He is a good lad with a good head on his shoulder. The Starks are honourable and they will treat our daughter as one of their own. She will be safe and happy there." Gregor said

"I am not saying it's a bad idea. I am just concerned we are sending our daughter at such a young age away from her home." Elissa said

"One day she would have to leave us anyway my love." Gregor said

"Yes I know. But it does not make it any easier to let her go." Elissa said

"Don't worry. We can visit her whenever we want. It is only a two days ride to Winterfell afterall. Tell Mira to get ready. She will leave tomorrow. I will have to make some arrangements with the guards." Gregor said

The next day Mira Forrester left with some fifty Forrester guards to Winterfell never knowing the danger that lay in their path. After sending his daughter away Gregor was overseeing the transportation of Ironwood to Sea dragon point. It was then two injured guards were brought before him.

"What happened?" Gregor asked

"We were ambushed in the Wolfswoods by Whitehills my lord. They have taken lady Mira as hostage. My lord the bastard of lord Bolton was also with the Whitehill soldiers." one of the guards said

"We have already sended scouts and groups of soldiers to track them my lord." Captain Denis said

"Bring Rodrik and Asher here. Also ask the Maester to send a raven to Winterfell and request aid fom lord Stark. If the Boltons support the Whitehills then we will need their help." Gregor said

"Right away my lord." Captain Denis said

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Some of my men told me you were very good at hunting. I am happy they spoke the truth. It seems blood of the Red Kings runs strongly in you Ramsay Snow." Ludd Whitehill said as he observed the Bolton's bastard who had captured the Forrester girl

"Remember our deal then. You will support me when the time comes when I stake the claim for Dreadfort." Ramsay asked

"Yes indeed Ramsay Snow. You will have my unconditional support. Now hand over the girl." lord Ludd said

Ramsay pushed the bound Forrester girl towards the lord of Highpoint. Ludd caught the girl in his arms.

"You have just ensured our victory girl but if you misbehave I will take your life as well as the life of rest of your wretched family. Now that we have you, your father will listen and obey me." lord Ludd said with a cruel laugh

"I will take my leave then." Ramsay snow said

"Oh no. Not yet. I have prepared a feast for your victory. After you and your friends have feasted and well rested you all can leave tomorrow." lord Ludd said

"Very gracious of you lord Whitehill. We will be happy to be your guest." Ramsay said

**WINTERFELL 293 AC**

"Lord Stark. A raven came from Ironrath." Maester Luwin said

"From the Forresters. Mira Forrester must be arriving soon then." Eddard said as he broke the seal of the message. As he began to read it's content his face became grim.

"Call Robb and Jory Cassel into my chambers. It seems the Whitehills has taken Mira Forrester as a hostage." Eddard said as the Maester rushed to call Robb.

Sometime later Robb and Jory entered the chambers of Eddard Stark.

"Has Maester Luwin informed you both what happened." Eddard asked

"Yes father." Robb said

"Good. I want the both of you to take necessary men and save Mira Forrester. She was coming to Winterfell and we will bring her here alive and well. Robb, make sure the Whitehills will never do this again and ensure Ramsay snow is dealt with." Eddard said

Robb nodded and left with Jory Cassel to select the necessary men.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Ramsay and his companions had to ride hard from highpoint without any stop. They managed to clear the Wolfswood with two days ride. But they had to camp outside the Wolfswood on the second day so that the horses could take some rest.

"Reek, pass me some of that wine." Ramsay said

"Why did you decided to help the Whitehills. You know there is a chance the Whitehills are going to mess this up." Reek said

"Oh I know. But my dear father has become weak and is doing nothing as the Starks grow more powerful each passing day. If the Whitehills manage to force the Forresters to hand over the Ironwood forests and get approval from the king then the Starks can't interfere. Certain assurances has already been given from kingslanding. Besides no one knows my involement." Ramsay said

"But still this was a dangerous..." Reek didn't get to finish as an arrow punched through his throat and he fell on the ground clawing at his throat.

Ramsay rolled on the ground and released the hunting hounds he had with him. But three arrows took their lives as well. Men began to surround their group from all sides and boxed them into the centre. Some of his men tried to charge at the attacking men but they were swiftly cut down. With no other choice Ramsay put down his weapon and surrendered.

"We meet at last Ramsay snow. I am Robb Stark." the one on the horse said

"Do you expect me to shake in fear little wolf." Ramsay asked

"No, I expect you to fall dead. " Robb said as he swung his sword and Ramsay knew no more as his head rolled on the ground.

"Take all of their heads. No prisoners. We move towards Highpoint in the morning." Robb ordered

The next day at early morning they began riding towards Highpoint. It took them two days to get near Whitehill's castle. Night had already fallen around the area and they didn't want to climb the hill upon which the castle is built. As they scouted the surroundings they met with Rodrik Forrester's host.

"Thank you for helping us lord Stark." Rodrik said

"You know more about the Whitehills than we do. Is there any way we can get inside the castle." Jory asked

"Not that we know of. Otherwise I would be already inside the castle." Rodrik said

"Has lord Ludd made any demands." Robb asked

"Yes he asked my father to relinquish control of the entire Ironwood forests and deny that the Whitehills took my sister infront of lords of North before sunrise tomorrow else he will kill her. That was his demand." Rodrik said

"So we have time only upto sunrise tomorrow. Well then here is my plan. I will sneak inside the castle and open the gates. I will give a signal once I have control of the gate and you all can come inside." Robb said

"That is a terrible plan Robb. How are you even going to get inside the castle. Besides you cannot just go inside alone. The guards will kill you easily." Jory said

"Nothing will happen trust me. I have done this before so I know the risks. You just concentrate on the gates and don't use horses to ride up the hill. So wait for my signal. This is an order Jory." Robb said

"Yes lord Stark." Jory said

Robb moved away from the camp and carefully climbed the hill. After he made sure he was sufficiently near the walls he apperated straight on top of the wall silently. From there he disillusioned himself and waited. After some time one guard walked towards him. Robb carefully went behind the guard and covered his mouth and then slit his throat with a knife. He put the body down to a side and then looked for his next prey. He found three guards near the gate but he put them under the imperious curse. The guards silently killed their own comrades under his influence while he unlocked the gate with his magic. He took a burning torch and waved it outside the gate signalling the soldiers. The Imperiouised guards came to him after they desposed the rest of their comrades. By then the rest of men entered the gates of Highpoint.

"These three will guide us. Let's save your sister Rodrik." Robb said

**XXXXXXXX**

Ludd Whitehill woke up from his bed after a long night sleep. He dressed himself and stepped out of his room into the hallway. But strangely everything was silent and he couldn't find any servants. He walked into the dining hall but he stopped cold at the scene he saw in the hall. He saw his entire family and some of his guards on their knees and bound by ropes.

"Good morning lord Ludd. You have my undivided attention and I hope I can have yours as well." Robb said

"Release my family at once." Ludd Whitehill said

"You are ordering me. Lord Rodrik please teach him some manners." Robb said

Rodrik rushed forward and delivered a punch straight to the face of lord Whitehill. Ludd stumbled back from the blow with a groan but Rodrik quickly caught him by his clothes and delivered another punch to the abdomen. Ludd bended down to a knee as the air was knocked out of him.

"Your fate is sealed the moment you took Mira Forrester lord Ludd. The only question that remains now is what to do with the rest of your family." Robb said as he took a bite of an apple while standing near the bound Whitehills.

"Kill them all lord Robb. They are all equally guilty of the crimes they committed against my family." Rodrik said

"Perhaps. But I think it would be a little too harsh. Lord Ludd is hereby sentenced to death and his male heirs will serve at the wall for the remainder of their days while Gwyn Whitehill will remain as a ward of house Forrester for the rest of her life. Highpoint from now on will serve the Forresters of Ironrath. This is my decision. If you refuse to obey then your death can be arranged " Robb said to the Whitehill family

In the end the Whitehills had no choice but to accept his punishment. Robb watched as Lord Gregor Forrester executed Ludd Whitehill in the godswood of Ironrath and the Forrester guards escorted the rest of Whitehill family to the Wall. After everything was over lord Gregor personally thanked Robb for house Stark's assistance and the Starks left with an offer of reduced price for Ironwood for the next few years along with Mira Forrester towards Winterfell.

Word spread around fast about what happened to the Whitehills. Most of the Nortern lords were happy with the results. After all the judgement was fair in their eyes. The one that planned to kidnap the Forrester girl is now executed by the girls father and the accomplices in this crime will now serve at the Wall. But not everyone saw it that way. The Boltons, Dustins and Ryswells protested the removal of house Whitehill from Bolton influence and taking their lands into the vassalage of House Stark through the Forresters. But that argument quickly fell apart as Eddard sended a raven to all lords explaining the involvement of Ramsay Snow iin the kidnapping. Roose Bolton denied any knowledge of the actions of his bastard son but it highlighted his lack of control over his vassals and his own son and since then he was silent on the matter.

But Barbery Dustin the wife of late Willam Dustin was not letting this go. Lady Dustin holds a grudge against Eddard Stark for not bringing her husband's bones to North with him so she could bury him at his ancestral home. Not only that she holds a grudge to anything that is named a Stark. In her youth she was hoping to marry Brandon Stark but he was later betrothed to Catelyn Tully. Barbrey instead was left to marry Lord William Dustin, whose lands are on the eastern border of House Ryswell's. For a time she was happy with her new husband and then the Rebellion happened and Willam died fighting the Kingsguard of Aerys Targaryen in Dorne leaving her alone with no children to take up his name. When Eddard Stark returned to the North he only brought her the horse of Willam Dustin and not his bones. Since then she holds a grudge with house Stark as she blames them for all the misfortunes that befall her. This was also same for her father Lord Rodrik Ryswell, Lord of the Rills. Almost all the decisions made by Barbery reflects her father's wishes and both these houses now passively supports house Bolton as Rodrik's first daughter Bethany Ryswell was the wife of Roose Bolton. The Bolton - Dustin - Ryswell alliance is a danger to Winterfell and Robb knew that. So he decided the time has come to take out the weakest link in this alliance.

**WINTERFELL 293 AC**

A few weeks passed after the incident with the Whitehills. Mira Forrester now lived in Winterfell with the Starks happily enough. She had her hands full as Catelyn had to look after baby Rickon so Mira managed Sansa and Arya. Arya was 6 years old and Sansa 10 years old. Arya was already a handful as she ran around Winterfell causing mischief while Sansa was more reserved but she did occassionally supported her little sister in her pranks. Without any of those septas to inject foolishness into their heads they grew up in a more liberal way just as any other Northern ladies. Catelyn tried to imprint the faith of seven upon Bran, Sansa and Arya but they were like Eddard in that regard as they kept to the Old gods. They grew up hearing the stories told by Old Nan and the strange incidents happening in Winterfell regarding the septons and septas only increased their faith in Old gods. Above all that Robb and Jon actively involved them in many of their activities which made them a close pack of Wolves. Now with Mira in Winterfell Arya and Sansa began spending more time with their new Forrester friend.

One day Robb was called to Eddard's solar alone. Robb found the Stark lord sitting behind a desk reading a parchment and Maester Luwin sitting in one of the chairs in the room.

"Father you called for me." Robb said

"Close the door and take a seat son." Eddard said

"What is this about father." Robb asked

"It seems with our climate undergoing such a shift in our advantage I was hoping we could re-open some of the mines that were abandoned previously. What do you think?" Eddard asked

"It is a good idea father. But from what I know most of our mines are further north of Winterfell is it not." Robb said

"Some but not all. We have some silver and gold mines near the White Knife. Then there are some mines near Torrhen's square and Barrowlands that would be very useful for us in the long run." Eddard said

"I won't disagree father. But we have low number of men to spare for mining and the mines in Barrowlands are not ours. The Dustins control those lands." Robb said

"Well not for much longer. The ships from Tyrosh, Volantis and Lys have arrived at White Harbour. As we speak the former slaves are being transported to Winterfell via the White Knife river. They should be here within a week. Their addition will not solve all our problems but it will certainly increase our work force. If this plan of freeing slaves and employing them in the North works well then I will authorise more of them to come into the North." Eddard said

"Many lords will not see it that way lord Stark." Luwin cautioned

"I have already informed the other lords of my reasons for doing this. I managed to convince them by spinning a tale of how I made a promise to the Old gods to free slaves for keeping the Winter at bay. That seems to be appealing to the other lords." Eddard said

"The southern lords will not see it like that. Especially those who follow those wretched seven gods. They will be using this against us for sure." Robb said

"That is why I have already sended a raven to Jon Arryn informing our vow to the Old gods. Since it is a religious matter the southerners can't interfere." Eddard said

"That's good I guess. Even if they were against it what can they do." Robb said

"Nothing much. There is also another matter. Lady Barbery Dustin has died yesterday night. She was with a fever for almost four days and the maester couldn't find any remedy in time to save her. While this is a tragedy it certainly provides us with an opportunity. I had left the Barrowlands in her care out of respect for Willam Dustin. But the one that profited from this are the Ryswells. They will certainly try to claim the Barrowlands and we can't allow that. That's why I am asking you to take a host of our men and claim Barrowlands for yourself Robb. You will be acting lord of Barrowlands until we find a suitable replacement. You will have to remove the Ryswell influence from the castle and Barrowton completely. Do you think you can do that." Eddard asked

"I can do that father." Robb answered

"Good. Then you ride for Barrowton today itself. Barbery will be buried in the Rills with the rest of her family. It is the perfect time to purge the castle." Eddard said

Robb immediately rounded up 300 guards and the provisions for two weeks. After everything was set up he said goodbye to the rest of his family and then left for Barrowton. There are no roads connecting Winterfell and Barrowton. So it would take a lot of days to reach Barrowton but they managed to reach the Barrowton within two weeks. The Direwolf banners gave them access to the castle easily enough.

"Lord Stark, lady Barbery is buried in the Rills with her Ryswell family. I am afraid you were misinformed." Maester Jason of Barrowton said

"I am exactly where I should be maester. With lady Barbery's untimely death my father has asked me to rule Barrowlands in his name until a suitable replacement can be made." Robb said

"This is highly unorthodox my lord." the Maester said

"Perhaps. But you can't deny it is very effective. My father is concerned about the influence of house Ryswell over Barrowlands and their close relationship with Boltons. With the recent involvement of Roose Bolton's bastard in the kidnapping of Mira Forrester I think some unorthodox methods are warranted maester. Anyways with no other Dustins present the castle automatically falls under house Stark. So there is not much problem now is there." Robb said

"Perhaps not my lord." the maester said

"Good. Assemble all the guards in the courtyard. I will be personally assessing them. Also send a raven to my father in Winterfell with this message." Robb said as he handed over a sealed parchment. The maester took the parchment from his hand and left towards the ravens.

"One more thing maester Jason. There shall be no other ravens flying to anywhere except Winterfell. My father will be informing the Ryswells himself." Robb said

"As you wish my lord." the maester said

The next few days Robb inspected the Barrowton and removed any guards and merchants that were loyal to the Ryswells. Robb began diverting some of the trade to Winterfell and Cerwyns rather than a complete reliance on the merchants from Rills. The preferential treatment given to traders from Rills were now stopped and Robb fined them for tax evasion after he found so many irregularities in tax returns. Some of the guards and captains that left for the funeral of Barbery Dustin returned after a week but they found a much changed Barrowton. Robb searched through each of their minds and dismissed those who were spies of Ryswells. Either he took the heads of spies or they were sent to the Wall. It took a better part of a month to clean up Barrowton to his liking. By then some of the freed slaves began to arrive from Winterfell to Barrowton. Mostly they were glassmakers, Smiths and some household servants.

Blazewater bay was west of Barrowton and the coasts of Barrowlands had the perfect sand to make glass. That is why he quickly set up the shops of glassmakers that he had packed up in his trunk inside the castle walls. Already he had sent men to collect sand for the glassmakers. The household servants already took charge and he dismissed the old ones from the castle. He didn't trust the old staff one bit and he could explicitly trust his new staff. He also had another plan with some of the servants but first the facilities had to be set up and he was creating it in his trunk and have yet to finish it.

Barrowton already had smiths but a few more additional ones would be an advantage for what he had in mind and thus he helped them set up their shops in Barrowton. Now he ws ready to bring in somethings from his old life. As part of his cover as a drug dealer he had worked in many distilleries for beer, wine, whisky, vodka and even some unauthorised illegal drinks in his previous life and he was going to abuse that knowledge here in Westeros and make all the resident psychopaths addicted to his magic drinks. He can already imagine the utopia that he would create here. There was no police, government and a tsunamy of those crackpots that call themselves human rights and media to interfere here. He rubbed his hand in glee as his passion for the art resurfaced in his mind once again after years. He was going to enjoy this and he bet the people here are also going to enjoy it. Maybe he will be worshipped as the god of drinks and wine afterall that greek dude who found wine and was hailed as a god.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE :**

**Sorry it took this long to update. I am tied up with some other work elsewhere. So expect slow updates. The RED DRAGON is almost finished. I wrote the last chapter completely but once I read it over I was a little dissatisfied myself so I will be editing it. Still it will take some time. Anyway bye.. bye..**


	6. Let's race

**KING'S LANDING 293 AC**

Petyr Baelish cursed his lack of luck as he walked through the halls of Red Keep. Nowadays his plans were falling apart like a house of cards. He has now completely lost any leverage he held over the Vale lords. Not only that the discontent he had painsakingly cultivated between the lords of Vale seems to have cooled down as the finances of the noble houses seems to pick up. Also now Jon Arryn seems to take a little more interest in the Vale and Petyr has learned the ageing lord is keeping constant contact with lord Royce of Runestone. The most frightening part for Petyr was that the lord of Runestone now ruled Eyrie and managed the Vale as per the instructions of Jon Arryn.

Then Petyr became aware of a little conflict in the North and he contacted the Whitehills through a third party to give assurances on behalf of the crown. He didn't know whether the lords of Highpoint would take the bait but luckily they did. He knew it was a risky business but it was a good opportunity to forge good relations with the lords of North. But sadly that plan also disintegrated spectacularly and again he had the Starks to thank for that. Robb Stark was becoming quite the nuisance for him and the boy was just 13 years old which was why he was about to use the information he came by from some of his spies to bring down house Stark. He didn't know why the honourable Ned Stark decided to indulge himself in slave trade but he was not complaining and this time he had even brought the High Septon into this small council meeting. He had 'accidently' spilled the news to the High Septon in one of his visits seeking 'spiritual' guidance. Now all he had to do is to sit back and enjoy the show. As usual he was the first to arrive in the small council chambers and he sat down on his usual seat. After some time others began to shuffle in filling the chairs except the king ofcourse.

"This meeting of the small council has been called as per the request of high Septon. How can the crown aid the faith high Septon." Jon Arryn said

"Thank you lord hand for immediately calling this meeting. Now it has come to the attention of many septons and myself that the Starks of Winterfell have bought slaves from Essos into the North. It is an insult to the Seven and is a clear violation of the laws of gods and men. As the prime representative of the gods I demand they be punished for their sins." the High Septon said

"Well let me correct you high septon. The Starks never brought slaves into Westeros. Eddard Stark has informed me that as an offering for the Old gods so as to keep the heavy winter and snow at bay the Northerners have decided to take a vow to free the slaves in Essos and bring them North so they could live as free men and women. As far as the crown is concerned they freed the slaves of Essos amd now they are granted a home in the North." Jon Arryn said

"I am shocked lord Arryn. You of all people is refusing to see the crime committed by the Starks. Indulging in the slave trade is a sin regardless even if one free the slave in question." the High Septon said

"I think the high septon is confusing the laws of faith with the laws of men. The laws set by king Jaehaerys I Targaryen clearly defines the crime of slavery. Only those who own a slave can be punished by the laws of men. From the perspective of crown the Starks do not own a single slave. They may have been slaves when they were bought in Essos. But they landed on Westeros as free men. I don't see any problem with what the Starks did." Stannis Baratheon said sternly

"Indeed. Lord Stannis is correct. From what my littile birds sing the slaves were freed as soon as they were bought in Volantis and Lys. They entered the ships as free men. Besides as lord Arryn said this is a religious matter concerning the Old gods and if my memory is correct the Old gods also do not condone slavery. That is one of the main laws the followers of Old gods respect. So I think if the other Northern lords have no complaint on this matter then we should also let this matter drop." Varys said with a shrug of his shoulders

"I think what lord Stark did is correct. He actually saved those poor souls from a life of suffering. They will be better off here rather than being a slave in Essos. I think we should applaud lord Stark for his kind action. I mean he must have spent some amount of money to free those poor souls with nothing to gain for himself." Renly Baratheon said with a smile

"Lord Varys. Did the Starks purchase soldiers from Essos." Jon Arryn asked with an inquisitive look

"No lord hand. The former slaves are entirely servants and most of them are women and children. Not a single soldier is among them." Varys said in confidence

"Then there is no further problems. From this alone the intentions of lord Stark is very clear. He paid a tribute to the Old gods by freeing some slaves comprising of women and children. There seems to be no ulterior motive behind it." Lord Renly said

"But the laws of the Seven prohibit any connection with slavers." the High Septon insisted

"You seem to forget that the North do not keep to the faith of Seven. Even the Manderlys have abandoned the seven after what the septon of white harbour did to the eldest grand daughter of Wyman Manderly. It just shows the vilest men can be even found inside the holiest of places." Varys said with a pointed look at the high septon which shut the pompous man up

"Yes. That is another reason I didn't want to interfere in this matter. Already Ned informs me tensions are high in the North regarding the faith of Seven. The incident with Manderlys followed by the actions of Whitehills seems to have pushed the Northerners to the edge. We don't want to pour more problems to the Starks to handle from our side as well." Jon Arryn said

"Lord Arryn speaks the truth. Besides if we pursue this matter with the Northerners we would be the laughing stock of the seven kingdoms. Kings of Westeros have not punished the Ironborn for taking thralls when they raid and we usually keep a blind eye as they mostly target Stepstones. If the faith can tolarate such a practice then I don't see why we should be even entertaining the thought of punishing lord Stark for freeing some slaves." Varys said

"Grandmaester. Do you have anything to add." Jon Arryn asked

"I completely agree with lord Varys's assessment lord hand." Pycelle said

"Lord Baelish, do you have anything to say." Jon Arryn asked

"Nothing my lord. These kind of matters are not my speciality." Baelish said with a smile

"Then what is your speciality lord Baelish other than increasing the debts of the crown that is." Renly japed

"I merely find the coin Lord Renly. The king is the one who spends it. I cannot control the king." Baelish said as he shrugged his shoulders nonchalant manner

"One thing concerns me Lord Arryn. How come the Starks became this much rich so quickly?" Pycelle asked

"Yes. If they are this much rich perhaps the crown can draw some loans from House Stark. As they are more close to the King they would give us a reasonable interest rate loans which will enable us to remove some burden from Lord Tywin." Baelish said

"I wouldn't be so sure of that lord Baelish. It seems the Starks have taken a loan from the Iron bank lord hand. I don't know the full details as the Braavosi are rather reclusive in this matter but they have given a substantial loan. My little birds say Robb Stark personally took the loan from the bank. So it would be useless to ask a loan from the Starks. Two rebellions certainly were very costly to the North and they need help to rebuild and it seems lord Stark is very much doing his duty as the warden of North." Varys said

"That ends the discussion of Starks. Our position in this matter is very clear. We cannot act according to the rules of one religion. The faith and the crown are two different entities and we will certainly not ask a loan from North. They have enough problems already and house Stark has suffered more injustice in the last war. I myself personally knew Lord Rickard Stark and he was a loyal man who fought side by side with me during the war of Ninepenny kings. What happened to him, his son Brandon and his daughter Lyanna is still something fresh in the minds of many that personally knew them especially the king and I don't want to disturb the fragile peace in seven kingdoms to shatter. This matter is closed. Are there any other concerns high Septon." Jon Arryn said

"None lord hand. I shall take my leave." the high Septon said as he shuffled out of the council room

After that day's council meeting ended Petyr once again raged in the confines of his mind. Once again his plans were thwarted and Jon Arryn was becoming more alert. Perhaps he should not include the North in his schemes. He didn't realise the aged lord of Vale strongly felt about the Stark family. He had never seen the man in such a state before and it seems the Arryn lord had considered Rickard Stark as a very good friend. Petyr realised his mistake as he had accidentally alerted Jon Arryn with his continuous poking into the North.

The Starks can be dealt with at a later date. He must first ensure his personal influence and power and for that, he must suppress any news from the North to reach the south. Then lord Arryn will slowly revert back to his old self. Petyr realised he must exercise more caution and cannot allow his personal dislike for the Starks to cloud his judgement.

**BARROWTON 293 AC**

It took a whole month for charming all the necessary pieces of equipment for the distilleries. After that Robb began to place them into separate buildings around Barrowton. While the equipment and building facilities were set up there was still the need for raw materials like rye, wheat, barley, corn, potatoes etc.

Robb travelled around Essos collecting the necessary seeds and plants for farming everything and stored it in his trunk. After he returned he decided to farm everything except wheat around Barrowlands and Winterfell. Barrow lands produced potatoes and rye while Winterfell produced barley and corn. But wheat was something Robb decided to farm inside his trunk which was why he began collecting a large number of slaves and employed them in the fields inside his trunk. Not only that he began to add pig farms in his trunks as well as using the slaves. This, in turn, gave Starfyre the food he needed.

After everything was set up Robb began to enhance the land with magic for greater yield and fast growth. Everything was going smoothly in the agricultural perspective but his glass smiths encountered a problem. Firstly they were understaffed and low in numbers. So Robb began recruiting more apprentices for the glass smiths. Slowly over the months, the labour shortage began to decrease and they were now able to produce as much glassworks as they can with available resources. But as the number of glassworkers increased the production also began to get increased at a faster rate which blew through the sand they collected within days. The problem was they didn't have a faster method to transport a large amount of sand.

It was this dilemma that led Robb to create wooden rail tracks connecting Barrowton to the coasts of Blazewater bay. The rails were made of Ironwood and Robb enchanted those wood with preservation and impervious charms for giving it long life. It took more than a month to create the rail lines. After it was completed glass products began to increase in number. Each drink had three different grades of quality and they varied in price. Finally, his products began to enter the market. The alcoholic drinks began to get widespread demand from Winterfell to Dorne. The Manderlys now had to increase their trade fleets to cover the entirety of Westeros and even to some distant parts of Essos like Volantis, Pentos, Lys, Qarth and so on.

The entire North began to undergo a rapid change as more and more men and women began to get employed as more and more jobs became available. More and more people began to migrate into Winterfell, Barrowton and White harbour seeking jobs. Slowly Winterfell and Barrowton began to transform into a city like White Harbour. The North now became a world-class exporter in the seven kingdoms and abroad.

When North began exporting many of its products into the seven kingdoms the one that profited most were the Freys of Twins. Their bridge connected the North and Riverlands. As months passed by they began to increase their tolls to a large amount and many Northern traders began to complain about this unfair practice and Robb had the perfect solution for this as well and this also provided him with an opportunity to visit his grandfather Hoster Tully in Riverlands.

**RIVERLANDS 293 AC**

Hoster Tully was a worried man nowadays. His biggest accomplishment was marrying two of his daughters to two lord Paramounts and hence securing the security of Riverlands from north and east. But the cause of his worry was his son. Frankly speaking his son Edmure is a fool who is uninterested in ruling. Instead, Edmure indulges himself in fooling around with his friends with no sense of responsibility. The sad thing was his son didn't have any worthy skills to his name unlike his grandson in the North. Already many of the River lords were circling like vultures around Riverrun especially those damn Freys.

It is true that parents should not have favourites among their children but Catelyn is his favourite child. From a young age, she was a dutiful daughter who always obeyed him without question. It was his luck that he managed to find her a loving husband fit to her stature. Even after marriage, she would always write to him informing him about her children and he could read her pride whenever she mentions them and now he was about to meet his eldest grandson face to face. Hoster relaxed into his chair as he imagined how his grandson would look like. From Cat's letters, his grandson is said to have inherited the Tully looks. Soon he would see if that was true. The door to his room opened and maester Vyman presented himself before him.

"My lord. The direwolf banners have appeared near Riverrun." maester Vyman informed

"I will be down there shortly maester. Tell my son to present himself before his nephew. Robb is family and I would not have Edmure insult Cat's son with his absence." Hoster said

"Yes lord Tully." the maester replied as he left to find Edmure.

**XXXXXXXXX**

Riverrun is a strong three-sided castle, although not especially large. The castle is bordered on the north by the Tumblestone and on the south by the Red Fork, while on the west a third side faces a massive man-made ditch. In times of danger, the sluice gates can be opened to fill a wide moat and leave the castle surrounded on all three sides by water, turning Riverrun into an island and leaving it practically unassailable. In times of war, it can with enough food provisions hold out a three-year siege. Robb observed all of this silently in his mind as he and his guards rode their horses through the gates into the courtyard of the castle. Robb dismounted the horse and faced Hoster.

"Welcome grandson. Your mother was not lying when she said you completely looked like a Tully." Hoster said as he looked at the red hair and blue eyes of Robb

"Thank you for having me, grandfather. I am looking forward to knowing each other well." Robb said

"Nephew welcome to Riverrun." Edmure said as he embraced Robb

"Thank you uncle." Robb said as he returned the hug

"Come. We can speak further in the castle." Hoster said as he led Robb inside after giving guest rights

After some time Hoster, Robb and Edmure were sitting in a room discussing about their family.

"I would have liked to meet all of my grandchildren." Hoster said

"Mother wouldn't let us out of her sight if she can. Luckily for me, father helps me out from time to time." Robb said with a smile

"Family come first for her. Always." Hoster said

"As you very well know I didn't come here for purely visiting Riverrun. There is a problem I am facing and I think you can help me with it." Robb said

"How can I help?" Hoster asked

"For some time the Freys have been increasing the tolls unfairly against our merchants. Many of them are not able to afford such high tolls and it is now affecting our exports. So I would like to propose a deal. I can transport our products through the sea into seaguard. But from there it would have to be transported safely. For that, I need your help grandfather." Robb said

"You could have directly contacted lord Mallister for that Robb." Hoster said

"I know about the dissent among River lords. I thought it would be best to approach other lords only through you thereby securing house Tully's influence." Robb said

"You are correct Robb. But there is a problem. If I favour one lord over the other again there will be a problem." Hoster said

"What if you were favouring two houses over one. I can use Seagard for trade with Riverlands and Maidenpool to access Crownlands. Then house Mooton and Mallister will profit from trade and you can take the credit for negotiating on their behalf." Robb said

"I will have to talk to them first. But I don't see why they won't take the offer. So how much trade are you hoping to reroute frim the Freys." Hoster asked

"All of it." Robb said

Hoster looked closely at Robb and slowly a smile came to his face.

"I see you inherited more that the Tully looks from my daughter. You have a mean streak with you. That is good to have in Westeros. Do not loose it Robb because your enemies will certainly not be honourable." Hoster advised his grandson

"I won't grandfather and thank you for your advice " Robb said

Robb returned back to Barrowton after a few weeks securing port rights from Seagard and Maidenpool. The moment he returned orders were distributed to the fleets near Kape Kraken and Sea Dragon point to transport all goods from Barrowton to Seagard. The same was true for White harbour there by completely circumventing the Twins.

**XXXXXXXXX**

Barrowton was bustling with activity. People were coming and going out of Barrowlands at an insane pace like never seen before. Horse drawn carts transporting fresh bottles of alcoholic drinks. Caskets full of beer that has now claimed the hearts of smallfolk and nobles alike were being transported in large numbers. Within a few months after introducing Rum, Whisky, Vodka and Beer the North has almost completely stopped importing wines from the Reach. Now the North is supplying the Reach with these heavenly drinks. By the insane amount of drinks being sold he wouldn't be surprised if there is now a new generation of alcoholic addicts in Westeros.

Alcoholic drinks were not the only thing being exported by the North. Now that experienced glass workers have increased in numbers they began to create coloured glass works, glass figurines, glass candles, glass bowls, chalices etc. There was a huge demand for glass products among the lordly houses as it represented a symbol of wealth and prestige to own such glassware. Robb was not complaining about the expensive tastes of the lords of Westeros as he made all the profits. Glass was a rare commodity in the seven kingdoms as the only glass producers are in the free city of Myr. Which is why they were very expensive as the sole producers were the Myrish glass makers and they could set the price however they want but not anymore. With the North also entering into the glass trade the market shifted away from Myr's favour.

The gold made from all the trade was invested in building more paved roads and to rebuild Winterfell. As of now, Winterfell is vulnerable to any attack. Winterfell was built with the snows and winter in mind. It was built so that an invading army will find itself at an immense disadvantage in the snows while the Starks can sit out any siege in comfort as the walls of Winterfell are heated by the water from hot spring under the castle. But now because of the wards, Robb set up the snows will only fall in one month of a year. Because of this Robb had asked his father to build a second wall that can protect Winterfell and Wintertown. The plan was for a twenty feet high wall that surrounds Winterfell and Wintertown from all sides. Already much of the stones needed for the construction are being brought to Winterfell with the aid of Mountain clans. It would take maybe two years to finish the wall and the several towers upon it.

But with all that was going on around him he needed someone to help him manage his finances. What he needed was a competent secretary and he couldn't trust the maester with anything as he had already proved his disloyalty by trying to send a raven to the citadel about the glassworks. Thankfully Robb had the presence of mind to place some intent-based wards around Barrowton which immediately diverted the raven back to him and the moment he read the message he placed the maester under Imperious curse and forced some to educate sone of his slave workers in ravenry, medicine and anything that was remotely useful to manage Barrowton. It was still an ongoing process as it will take time to train up the necessary replacement. Already he had replaced the kitchen staff and now the women he met in the streets of Volantis, Sheana now leads the kitchen staff and she could cook anything and make it absolutely delicious. In his previous life, Robb was a fan of spicy food but once he came to Westeros his taste buds were constantly in protest. But now that he can act with impunity he had travelled around the world and brought much of the spices he could find like Cardamom, Red Chilies, Clove, Cassia bark, Black pepper and so on. Since then Robb was having the time of his life as he reinvented the different dishes he knew how to make and enjoyed a reprieve from the horrible tasteless food of Westeros. Now Sheana is an expert in cooking Alu Gobi, Tandoori Chicken, Matar Paneer and even his personal favourite dish the Biryani.

Anyway, the twin daughters of Sheana are now the esteemed students of maester Jason. From what he observed so far Leana had the smarts for finance and Serena had the mind for organising everything and they both had the skills to work the ravens. Then there was a son of the cooks in the kitchen named, Fick who was very good with medicine. If all goes well Robb would not have to endure the company of maester Jason for long.

In the meantime, Robb became bored of sitting around in the castle doing nothing. So to take away his boredom Robb organised a horse race competition. After all the tracks were set Robb opened the race to all Northerners. One thing good about the North was that there are no Knights but they still had mounted soldiers. So Robb didn't have to invite anyone specifically as the race was open to anyone with a horse even to women. Initially, Robb thought not many would participate but soon many people began to come into Barrowton for the race. Robb was forced to split the race into two phases. The first phase determined the riders for the finals. Only eight riders could be qualified for the finals so eight races were conducted to determine the eight finalists.

A huge crowd had turned up to watch the spectacle. With the crowd in such a high spirit, Robb decided to participate in the first race itself. He also decided there would be no magic involved in the race as it would take out all the fun. The crowd were fired up as the heir of Winterfell himself had decided to race. The tracks were clearly drawn and the stands were separated by wooden fences. The race controller waved a white flag and that was the signal as the horses surged forward carrying their riders across the track. Robb urged his horse to go faster and slowly he began to gain a lead from the other riders. But the terrain was not just a flat track it had its ups and downs. The track was specifically designed to test the speed of the horse as well as the ability of the rider. But Robb being a stellar rider managed to ride his horse through the tracks expertly and even managed to jump over a series of small wooden hurdles quickly that set him apart from the others with a modest lead. Finally, he rode into the finish line which was back where he started to the applause of the crowd. The other racers closely finished behind him but they also got the applause. Robb returned his horse to the stables so that it can rest. He returned to the stands and watched the next seven races. Surprisingly three women managed to win in the first phase. By noon all the seven races were over and Robb declared the final to be held in the evening so as the horses can get their rest.

In the evening the eight finalists assembled upon the track with their horses. All of them concentrated for the signal and with a wave of the white flag they spurred their horses forward and the race began. From the beginning itself, Robb was pushed to second place as one of the racers managed to get the lead. Robb tried hard to catch up by urging his horse to great speed but was forced to slow down as they took a sharp turn and there he was overtaken by another rider pushing him to third place. As the hurdles approached Robb managed to retake the second position but in the end, he finished in second place. Even though Robb was disappointed he awarded the first three positions with gifts. For the first finisher, he awarded a hundred gold dragons and a casket full of Whisky. For the third finisher, he gave twenty-five gold dragons and three bottles of Whisky. The crowd roared their approval as he presented the winnings for the two winners right on the tracks and in that auspicious moment, he declared to hold another race next month at the same date to the general approval of the audience.

Later that night as he slept in the bed a random thought came to his mind. Why not play cricket tomorrow. With that silly thought, he fell asleep.


	7. Some important decisions

WINTERFELL 294 AC

Eddard Stark was having a busy day with all the construction work that is going on around Winterfell. While he was happy his home was getting renovated and a huge wall being built around Winterfell was for the best he had to endure so many boring hours of complaints by the smallfolk and even the builders. Then there was the whole expense of all that was going on that is still mind-blowing for Eddard. At least his wife seems to be in her element as she helped in pointing out the necessary modifications she wanted for the interior part of the castle. Eddard knew he was no good in politics of the seven kingdoms as he never received any training for that as he was only a second son but at least his son had turned out to be a smart one. The Manderlys were literally worshipping Robb as a god by this point as he increased the northern trade ten times from what it was before. Somehow the smiths in Barrowton managed to deliver the secrets of glass making and that too just after Robb took control of Barrowton. Eddard is not someone that believed in coincidence so he strongly believed Robb had something to do with it.

Anyway, the glassworks along with some of those fancy alcoholic drinks seem to have picked up the attention of many merchants across the continent and trade was booming like never before. While his son was doing the best he can to empower the North, Eddard himself was not staying idle. As he once said to Robb he restarted some of the abandoned mines in North. The North did not have many gold mines but it had many silver mines and Iron mines. With the weather being favourable to work in the mines slowly silver and iron flow into the market began to increase. While this was all good the North is a large place and it has vast unexplored lands. Eddard began sending some men to find any more mines. Unfortunately, they couldn't find any gold mines but they did find something else entirely, Diamonds. While there was no great diamond market in Westeros that was not the case in Braavos. Lord Manderly has assured him that there is a big market in Braavos for Diamonds. While none of the Northerners have worked with Diamonds before they were willing to try. It was a very hard process to cut and shape the diamond crystals. But after months of hard work, some of the men began to pick up the art and improved considerably in designing Diamond studs. At lord Manderly's advice they began to export Diamonds to Braavos in very low quantities and most of the pieces they sold there were small ones.

As months began to fly by the Braavosi merchants took note of steady supply of diamonds from the North. Diamonds were a rare commodity in Braavos and only very few can be even found in Essos. Several offers began to arrive via the Iron Bank of Braavos for purchasing uncut diamonds. Several negotiations took place until finally, the Braavosi merchants agreed to open their own Diamond processing units in the North with equal shares from Braavos and North. In the end, this deal would ensure the people of North would have a steady job and become more experienced with their exposure to Braavosi workers. Everything was moving smoothly for once and North was prospering. If only his father, mother, Brandon, Benjen and Lyanna was here to enjoy this he would have been happier.

"Lord Stark may I come in." Maester Luwin asked from the door side of the room.

"Come in maester. What is it?" Eddard asked

"A raven came from Barrowton, my lord." Maester Luwin said as he handed over the message.

"Robb asks that I send Jon over to Barrowton, something about teaching Jon to play Cricket and Football. What is he talking about maester?" Eddard asked confused

"Ah I was about to inform you my lord but I thought it was some wild imaginations of travellers." Maester Luwin said with an embarrassing smile

"Rumors from travellers about Barrowton? What is Robb doing there?" Eddard asked in curiously

"It seems dear Robb has taken a fancy of hosting horse racing competitions and then if rumours are to be believed he seems to have created two games and is now a regular player himself. It is attracting a lot of attention from the smallfolk as well as the winning teams usually get rewarded by Robb. Of course, these are just rumours that I have heard. We don't know the truth behind it." Maester Luwin said

"This message seems to agree with the rumours maester. Perhaps we are looking at this in a wrong way. Everything Robb does have a purpose. He wouldn't just do something like this unless it somehow benefits the North. I can understand the purpose behind horse racing as we lack mounted soldiers and it is a perfect way to train the men without any loss of life. Do you know anything about this Cricket and Football?" Eddard asked as he thought about this matter.

"Not entirely my lord. The football is played by men running around a field chasing a ball and kicking it between themselves. As for this Cricket, I am told a wooden weapon is used to smash a small ball thrown by someone and there are some strange sticks placed behind this hitter on the ground. Frankly, I am confused, my lord. I am sorry I am not much of a help." Maester Luwin said helplessly

"No, it's alright. Perhaps it is better if Jon is in Barrowton. Jon has more influence on Robb than anybody else. I will speak to Jon myself. Call him maester." Eddard said

Maester Luwin nodded and left to inform Jon. Meanwhile, Eddard was deep in thought. On one hand, he knew Jon was miserable here in Winterfell and he can easily see Jon was missing Robb's company. But there was also his own promise to Lyanna to keep her son safe and if he sends Jon to Barrowton away from his protection he was afraid Jon would get hurt. Jon was the only living memory of his sister Lyanna and he had failed to save her. The moment he took the promise to protect Jon, he meant what he said as he did not want her son to fall before his eyes. Still, it would be better for Jon to stay away from Winterfell and Robb would never let anything happen to Jon. Besides Jon himself was skilled enough with a sword like his father not that it did any good against Robert in the Trident. Perhaps it was time to put some trust in Jon to take care of himself.

"Lord Stark. You called for me." Jon said as he entered the room

"Take a seat, Jon." Eddard said pointing at one of the chairs. As Jon sat there looking at him Eddard felt like he was seeing Rheagar for a moment.

"Did I do something to displease you, Lord Stark?" Jon asked a little troubled

"No nothing like that. I was just thinking about something else. The reason I called you here is that Robb sent a raven from Barrowton asking for you." Eddard informed casually

"Robb asked for me." Jon asked

"He asked me to send you over to Barrowton. It seems your brother is of the opinion you would enjoy yourself more in Barrowton rather than staying here." Eddard said looking for any reaction from Jon

"Do you want me to go?" Jon asked

"It's entirely up to you. It seems Robb has started playing these strange games called cricket and football. I am also told that he is hosting a horse racing competition every month. So tell me do you want to go?" Eddard asked

"If you wouldn't mind I would like to go." Jon said

"Very well. You can leave today if you like and Jon, stay safe and keep Robb out of trouble as well. Also, send a raven the moment you reach Barrowton." Eddard said to Jon

"Thank you, father. I will go and pack then." Jon said in a hurry

At Eddard's nod, Jon left the room with a smile. Eddard stood from his seat and looked out the window watching some of the men working on the wall.

By noon Jon became ready and after saying farewell to the rest of his siblings Jon began his journey with some of the guards his father lent him to Barrowton.

BARROWTON 294 AC

After Robb dreamed about playing Cricket the thought would not leave his mind. In the end, he decided to hire some carpenters and began making the bats and stumps while he himself concentrated on creating the Cricket ball. Thankfully corks were readily available in the north so he had no problem in creating the Cricket balls. After that, he wound the cork with several layers of leather and stitched it tightly. So now he had the necessary tools for playing Cricket but he thought, why stop there. This thought led him towards football. Now, this is a game that needs extreme stamina, agility, flexibility, speed, analytic and tactical abilities. This sport can be very useful for keeping the men in shape. Unfortunately for Robb, there were no Rubber trees in the North for him to create a football. Leather can be used to create football but it would be weird for him to play in that so he began the hunt for rubber trees. In the mean time, Robb promoted Cricket as well as Tennis.

Now Tennis equipment was easy for him to make and the sport develops upper body strength at an alarming rate which was very much needed for a swordsman. Robb regularly played Tennis with his soldiers in Barrowton. It also helped him to bond with many of them and it was a favourite sport of his to pass time. That doesn't mean he abandoned to train with his sword. Every day early morning he would train with his sword in the yard and then test his archery skills as well. After that, he would go for a ride upon the horse around the tracks and even the forest near his castle for a small hunt.

Finally, after weeks of searching Robb managed to find some rubber trees along with Sandalwood trees in the island Skagos. He brought them to Barrowlands and began planting them. While he needed the rubber in small quantities the sandalwood was another matter. Sandalwood can be used as fragrance and oils. Sandalwood oil can be used as medicine for the treatment of common colds, skin disorders, heart ailments, general weakness, fever etc. Then there was a mountain of gold can be made by selling fragrance especially in a dirty smelly place like Westeros.

So he immediately started planting Rubber trees and Sandalwood trees. After extracting rubber from the trees he had to use his magic to manipulate the rubber to form into the necessary ball as he envisions. Frankly, he has no idea how football is made. All he knew about it is that rubber is used in it. He was lucky enough as he had once seen a plantation worker extracting rubber from the trees in his previous life. After forming the ball he introduced the game in Barrow lands. This one got more popular than Cricket as it involved more physical activity than ever and the Northerners were a rowdy bunch.

As for sandalwood let's just say that he had a history with this tree before he got entangled with the drug business. So he knew how to make the oil and fragrance. The heartwood of sandalwood was the part it had fragrance. After rapidly growing many sandalwood trees using his magic he had people extract the wood and use it to create cosmetic products. This caused another industry to spring up in the North as there was a huge demand for such a product in King's Landing alone. The medicinal oil became famous and well sought out in Essos as surprisingly it was found out to have the ability to cure Grayscale within a month of continuous application upon the affected skin. After this was found out the price and demand for sandalwood oil skyrocketed. Thankfully with his magic, Robb was able to rapidly grow more Sandalwood trees faster in Barrowlands which enabled them to maintain a steady supply of the product.

XXXXXXXXX

Jon neared Barrowton upon his horse. He watched the streets get filled with more people as time moved on engaging in trade. Children ran around the roads happily playing with each other. It was a similar sight in Winterfell as well nowadays. He can still remember there was a time when this was not the case. Stone-built buildings now surrounded the castle of Barrowton. It felt like Jon was stepping into a city and the roads were cleanly paved with stones. Moreover, the streets smelled like those new Sandal perfumes his sister Sansa uses nowadays. Jon guided his horse through the open gates of the outer wall of the castle. He tied his horse near one of the stables and the guards that came with him untied the packs they were carrying from their horses. Some of the Stark guards in Barrowton moved closer towards them.

"Lord Robb is expecting you. He is in the training yard. Follow me." one of the guards said while the others helped to unpack

Jon found Robb in the training yard practising archery with some men and even some women were there. Arya would have loved to come here, Jon thought. Robb turned around and saw him standing outside the yard.

"Well, look who has come. Everyone meet Jon, my younger brother." Robb said as he embraced Jon in a hug and showed him around to everyone.

"Father said you were playing some games here in Barrowton. He is concerned." Jon said

"Ah, no need to be concerned. The games help to train the men physically without sustaining any injury and also to teach them discipline. The southerners have their tourneys while we have our games. Come we have much to discuss after you have some food." Robb said as he led Jon towards the castle.

"So why do you want me here?" Jon asked

"I know my mother would be hard on you in my absence. It is better if you are with me here. Then there is another reason as well." Robb said

"What reason?" Jon asked

"As of right now, Barrowlands can call upon six thousand men consisting of two thousand mounted men and the rest of them are foot soldiers. I need to increase the number of men I can call to battle and I need to train them. So I am breaking off the men into different groups under a captain. I want you to become a captain in the army. You will be paid of course along with the men." Robb said

"I am honoured. How many men are you planning to rise?" Jon asked

"More than ten thousand." Robb thoughtfully replied

"But that is too many men. You will have to feed them, pay them and arm them. It will be very expensive brother." Jon said

"Don't you worry about that? I have the resources. What I need are skilled soldiers. Along with all this, there is the fleet we have to consider. I am planning on establishing a fleet near Saltspear as well." Robb said

"It's as if you are preparing for war." Jon joked

"Maybe I am." Robb said as he walked forward leaving Jon behind. Jon quickly caught up to Robb.

"You were joking right." Jon said

"It never hurts to be prepared, brother." Robb said seriously

"In that case, I will join. So when do I begin." Jon said

"You will be assigned to a group of 300 men. From there we will see." Robb said with a smile

XXXXXXX

After assigning Jon to a platoon Robb returned back into the castle. Robb sat behind his desk and thought about what he should do in the coming years. There were three options before him. Option one entails that he allow the events to unfold and become the King in the North and declare independence from the Iron Throne. Option two was to remain strictly neutral and watch as the southern armies weakened themselves and then he can conquer them forcibly using the Northern army and Starfyre. Option three was to stay neutral against the Lannister - Baratheon war but to actively destabilize the seven kingdoms and make them so weak that they have no other option but to beg the help of North at any cost.

After thinking about the pros and cons Robb decided to discard the first option. Achieving independence is all good when one says it but it will inevitably bring him into too many wars and they will not be able to get any help in the war against the White Walkers. But one of the main reasons for discarding the first option is because he didn't want to sacrifice Eddard Stark's life. Over the course of many years somehow he had started to identify himself as a Stark more and more and started to think of them as his family and he did not want his family to shatter because of his greed.

Option two has potential but the rest of the kingdoms will not accept a Northern king to rule them. Inevitably a rebellion will happen even if he succeeds in conquering them all. Besides he would have to spend the resources of the North for something that will be temporary because there is no platform for him to build a royal house in all of the seven kingdoms. The Andals will never accept a first men king.

Option three was the most desirable one as it has more of a potential to succeed with minimal risk. But it is a plan that will make him a kingmaker or perhaps the apt term would be Queen Maker and frankly, he was fine with that. This plan will also allow him to pick off his enemies one by one and will ensure the complete collapse of Andal faith. But for the third option needs a fall guy to spark the fuse so to speak and it can't be Eddard. So this thought led him towards one person and that was Jon Arryn, the perfect fall man for his con.

Now that he has selected a path he need certain tools for his plans to succeed. Some of the resources are already in his grasp but there are two major tools he need. One is Wildfire and the other is Opium. Wildfire was not needed for him to destabilize the seven kingdoms but he needed the substance to fight the White Walkers effectively. That was the easiest target but he wanted the knowledge behind the creation of Wildfire. That is why he had to go to Kings landing.

Unfortunately Robb had never travelled to Kings landing before so he couldn't directly apparate there nor could he create a portkey. But he has been to Riverlands before. So one night Robb apparated directly into Riverrun. Once he reached there, Robb waved his wand and a black smoke consumed him and lifted him into the sky. With a thought he flew in the direction of King's Landing.

Within hours he was able to reach King's landing. He carefully landed behind a building and then used the 'point me' spell to locate the Alchemist guild. He then put four random strangers under imperious curse and sneaked them into the guild. From the guild he picked best four alchemists and put them under the imperious as well. Robb made them take the necessary tools and books that would help them from the guild and placed it all safely in his expanded trunk along with the Alchemists.

After securing the alchemists and there gadgets Robb took a small bottle of wildfire and led the four imperiouised men into an abandoned room. He made the four sit in a circle and made one of them to slowly pour the wildfire into the ground. After he made sure the liquid spread evenly Robb placed a magical shield in front of him and threw a burning torch into the Wildfire. Green flames spread up quickly consuming the four men and it tried desperately to spread into the walls. Robb managed to contain it as he expanded the blue magical shield concentrating the flames among the four men and they screamed in agony as their flesh and bones melted away. Robb apparated away with his trunk as he heard people rushing into the room. He waited outside the alchemist guild for some time. After he made sure the flames never spread into the rest of the building he portkeyed away to Barrowton and fell asleep on his bed.

The next morning he began sending some builders to a remote part of the Barrowlands which is conveniently away from a any population. He asked them to construct a building to house the new Alchemist guild. Unlike the one in King's landing this one would have underground tunnels and dungeons to safely store the Wildfire with necessary precautions and wards. It will take time for the building to be completed so until then the Alchemists will be working inside the trunk and he had already assigned some aids and the materials that they requested inside the trunk. So for the time being they will have to work inside the special dimension in the trunk.

Now that Wildfire was being produced steadily Robb concentrated on finding the Opium poppy. It was easier said than done because the point me spell have a range it can cover. So he had to apparate around the North and Skagos but so far he had no luck on finding the plant. Already he had a separate dimension set up in his trunk along woth all the magically charmed and animated equipment he needed to process several drugs from the plant. With no results in the North he expanded his search into Riverlands and again he could not find the plant. The next place he searched was the Vale. After months of searching finally he manged to find the plant in the mountains of Vale. Robb had to stay clear of the mountain clans of Vale and collect the plant into his trunk. After that he returned back to Barrowton and the opium farming began earnestly in his trunk's compartment.

KING'S LANDING 294 AC

Tyrion Lannister famously known throughout the seven kingdoms as the Imp drank a mouthful of Vodka courtesy of his good brother Robert Baratheon. They were drinking buddies as Tyrion was sent to King's Landing by his father Tywin Lannister. One of the things that Tyrion and the king had in common was this, a passionate love for any drinks that came from North and they enjoyed it thoroughly. They were both drunkards, they took whores to their bed and they both despised Cersei with a passion. These shared qualities would have made them great friends but Robert hated anyone with the name Lannister but he tolerated Tyrion.

Tyrion didn't mind whether he was hated or loved by the king. After all he had been hated all his life by his own family for being a dwarf. But hidden behind all those faulty masks that Tyrion projects there lay an intelligent and creative mind. Out of the three children of Tywin Lannister, Tyrion was the only one with a steady head on his shoulder despite it being a small one. It was not Tyrion's idea to be in King's landing. After all he wanted to travel to Essos and see the different cities there and go on a grand adventure. But it was the wish of his father that brought Tyrion to King's Landing. More specifically he was here to ensure the crown never forgets the loans that are owed to house Lannnister.

Frankly Tyrion was bored out of his mind here and he would really love to get away from this smelly shithole they call the capital of seven kingdoms. Perhaps he can get out of king's landing by persuading Robert to go North. The king wouldn't mind to pay his friend in the North a visit now will he? Tyrion filled his glass to the brim with Vodka and took a swig. The liquid burned through his throat and he sat back in comfort as his mind slowly slipped away into dreamland.

REACH 294 AC

House Redwyne of the Arbor is a vassal house from the Reach that holds fealty to the Lords of Highgarden. Their lands are located on the island of the Arbor, southwest of Highgarden. The Arbor is known for producing the finest wines in the Seven Kingdoms. Due to their island location, their merchant ships require great protection at sea, so the Redwyne Fleet is one of the three largest in the realm. They were oe of the powerful and wealthiest houses in the Reach. But that was all in the past own.

In the last few years a considerable amount of wealth has been drained from the Redwyne family and the blame rests squarely with the Starks and the North as a whole. First the North became a fertile land overnight and began exporting excess food products to other kingdoms at low prices. That left the Reachmen hanging as they had a large harvest but with no buyers in the North and Vale. This forced them to sell at a very low price to other kingdoms and even then many of the harvest simply spoiled because they could not find a buyer. The maesters of Citadel assured them the climate will soon shift in the North but that did not happen. More and more harvest began to get spoiled and the lords of Reach began to steadily lose gold each year.

As if this was not enough another disaster struck and this directly affected house Redwyne. Suddenly out of nowhere North began producing alcoholic drinks that surpassed the tastes of wines that the Arbour can produce. Within months the wines of Arbour were discarded for the new drinks from North. Arbour wine could not even put up a competition as there were many Northern drinks with different qualities. Above all that these drinks were sold in glass bottles. All the lords of Seven Kingdoms literally rushed to buy those infernal drinks effectively killing the market for Arbour wine.

Without a steady business the men working in wine yards became jobless and merchants began to shift their business away from the arbour. Without the trade, the Redwyne fleet became a liability for house Redwyne and if this is how the coming years are going to be like then their house will fall into ruin. This was one of the reasons why Lord Paxter Redwyne sent a marriage offer to the Starks between his daughter Desmera Redwyne and Robb Stark. He has yet to receive a reply from Winterfell but he was praying to the seven everyday for the proposal to be accepted. If not the imminent fall of his family cannot be avoided and he will be the one responsible for the poor state of his house. He can only hope for the best now.


	8. Fantasies fulfilled

**WINTERFELL 295 AC**

"This is a good match Ned. House Redwyne is a powerful house in the Reach. A union with them will benefit the North." Catelyn said after she read the proposal written by lord Paxtor Redwyne.

"It does not matter whether they are powerful or not. Robb will have to marry someone from the North. I have already married from the south now our son must have a Northern bride." Eddard said with a finality

"If not Desmera Redwyne then who?" Catelyn asked

"It can be Mira Forrester or Alys Karstark. There are many good Northern matches Robb can have." Eddard said

"Still I think this is a good match we are discarding." Catelyn voiced her opinion

"Maybe. But it is better to have stability in North and Robb marrying from outside will not bring any stability to the North." Eddard said. Catelyn sighed but nodded and left the room.

Frankly he had not thought about any marriage prospects for any of his children yet. He was of a mind to wait a little bit longer before any final decisions to be made. Afterall his own father's decision to betrothe Lyanna to Robert ended up in a disaster and to an extent he himself felt responsible. His sister had many times voiced her objections against the match and he had foolishly insisted that Robert was a good man when he himself deep down knew that was not the case. In the end Lyanna took matters into her own hands and the seven kingdoms suffered for her love with a married man.

Eddard tried to supress the painful memories and instead concentrated on the here and now. The renovation of Winterfell has been completed within time. Now the castle looks more strong than before. All the broken towers were rebuilt and the ground has been completely paved with finely cut stone. Now all that was left to complete was the outer wall of Wintertown and the drains that are designed for Winterfell. Now Winterfell almost looked like a city.

**WESTERLANDS 295 AC**

Tywn Lannister sat back and relaxed in his room after this day's work finished. After he realised the mines of Casterly rock was running dry he had immediately called for his brother Kevan. Between the two of them they hatched a plan to contain the news regarding the Lannister mines. They had to kill many of the workers as a precaution and then they began transferring many workers to the mines of Tarbeck hall and Castamare to offset the loss of Lannister mines. Slowly house Lannister recovered from a financial crisis. But all was not well. For the last few years the crown was borrowing heavily from house Lannister. In the beginning Tywin didn't mind as he was able to negotiate low taxes from the crown and several positions of power for Lannisters in King's Landing.

He was happy that the power dynamics of the seven kingdoms is now shifting to his favour. After the Targaryens unified the seven kingdoms the Westerlands and Reach dominated the political and financial aspects of Westeros. But that was now changing. The Reach no longer can exert a great amount of influence as they are not the only kingdom able to produce a large harvest. The Riverlands could have been a strong rival for the Reach but their infighting always destroyed that chance but now the North has risen to challenge the Reach in every way possible.

The North has a geographical advantage for trade with Esoss. But without a fleet they squandered that advantage. But now how things have changed. Within a few years the North improved its position rapidly. Glass, Liquor, diamonds, spices, fruits and many more were now traded with Esoss and the rest of seven kingdoms. But even with all this Tywin knew the Northern kingdom is the most reliable kingdom for his grandson. They are staunchly loyal to those they gave their oath of allegiance and it was the folly of house Targaryen to turn such a kingdom into their enemy. No Northern houses have ever rebelled against the Targaryens whereas the other six have always provided more problems for the Targaryens.

Now that the North has grown in power it was imperative to tie them closer to the ruling house as well as to house Lannister. Before the emergence of North as a strong entity Tywin was of the opinion to bring house Tyrell into an alliance through marriage. But he detested this plan as it would be acknowledging the legitimacy of an upjumped servant house like Tyrells. The only reason the Tyrells stayed in power in the Reach was because of house Targaryen.

As for the Starks they are a house as old as Lannisters. Both houses can trace their ancestry to the age of heroes. Both the houses were kings of their respective kingdoms and most importantly both Westerlands and North can never be held by another house except by them. Tywin was of the opinion that his ancestors were foolish to not forge an alliance with house Stark through marriage. Like many among his living family they must have thought that the only form of power is gold and military strength and most probably they might have bought into the stupid claims by those stupid septons about how the Northerners were savage beasts. But Tywin was of a different opinion. Many saw weakness in the North as they were always struggling to survive every day in the harshest of winters. But he knew struggle breeds greatness and it leads to power. The entire people of North are bound by the hardships they face and which inturn makes them strong and unified. Also they have a strong army despite it's low numbers compared to other kingdoms. This can be seen when the Northerners broke the Westerland armies during the Dance of Dragons.

Still that situation can be solved easily enough. Tywin has heard of Robb Stark who is now ruling the Barrow lands from Barrowton, the previous seat of House Dustin. Sooner or later Robb Stark will have to take up the lordship of Winterfell and then he would have to assign one of his brothers as the lord of Barrow lands and most likely it will be Brandon Stark. Then Tywin can approach the Starks with a marriage between Brandon Stark and Myrielle Lannister thereby strengthening the alliance.

This was not the only reason Tywin desired kinship with House Stark. In many ways he was moulded after the Stark kings of old. When he was a boy he had to watch as the bannermen of Westerlands heaped insult after insult upon his house and his father drank it all up like a fool. In that time his mother would regale him with stories of Lannisters of old but their stories never helped young Tywin who was desperate to restore the waning power of House Lannister. But then he came across the history of House Stark and what the Winter Kings of North did to their rebellious lords. They purged the rebellious houses root and stem. Even their cousins of House Greystark were not given mercy when they rose up in rebellion with house Bolton. Only the Boltons were left alive and they kept them around as a warning to make others remember of the other houses that were wiped out. This was something that influenced him to wipe out the Terbecks and Reynes forever. Ofcourse he never left any house alive like the Starks did and it worked very well in his opinion. So one can imagine his disappointment with Eddard Stark but he realised the quiet wolf was bought up in Vale and that fool Arryn has filled the head of the Stark lord with talks of honour and virtues. But atleast Eddard Stark proved himself a capable lord who managed to raise the North into a powerful kingdom in his time and that too at such a short time.

So this alliance was important in his eyes. As far as Tywin is concerned there are three main enemies in Westeros. One is the Martells of Dorne. Second is the Tyrells in Reach and the third is Renly Baratheon in Storm lands. He was already aware of the mechanisations of Tyrells trying to replace his daughter with Margery Tyrell and failing that they are now influencing Renly Baratheon. He knew that servant house was desperate for someone of their own blood to sit upon the Iron Throne. They will be signing their own decline with that move. He will make sure of that.

**KING'S LANDING 295 AC**

Jon Arryn was very tired as he finished the day's work. As usual he sat alone in the his chambers. He was getting really tired of the power plays and politics done in the court. He could have handled the nobility by himself but he also have to do the damage control after the queen gets involved in any issues. Just a week before she threatened a bunch of Northern spice traders wirh incresed taxes so as to make them sell their products at a low price just to spite the North. Two days later he had a multitude of complaints from the many merchants of King's landing as the Northerners are selling their products at a high price than usual. So he had to confront each and every traders and assure them there was not going to be any increase in taxes. After that everything returned ti normal. When he confronted queen Cersei about this issue he recieved only dismissal.

That was just one of the thousands of incidents he had to cover for the royal family. Already Robert was known throughout Westeros and Essos as the Whoremonger king. On the surface the Baratheon dynasty seems to be strong but each day that was falling apart as the Lannisters began hording power all to themselves alienating the other kingdoms completely. King's landing is now filled with that wretched family and Westerland lords. Even the Storm lords and the lords of crown lands were under-represented.

Then there was another problem. It was Stannis Baratheon that brought it to his attention. At first he was very sceptical about Stannis's allegations that the royal children are not Robert's. But after careful observations he was beginning to have doubts of his own. The main reason he was beginning to doubt their legitimacy was because of the behaviour of the crown prince, Joffrey. That boy reminded him of the Mad King. Joffrey enjoyed torturing others and laughed at others misery. While this can be applied to many lords of Westeros he had observed the eyes of crown prince and he saw a hidden madness in them.

Another reason he was doubting the royal children are all bastards was because they look different. He had discreetly asked Renly about Robert's bastard Edric Storm who stayed in Storms end. From Renly he learned that the boy had black hair and blue eyes. This was true for Robert, Stannis and Renly. But he was not going to make a judgement based on this alone. Soon he will be tracking down the other bastards of Robert with the aid of Stannis. But then again this alone will not prove anything so he was observing the queen discreetly to find who she was having an affair with but so farbhe was having no such luck. He was sure it was a Lannister but there was no definite way to prove the illegitimacy of Jofrrey, Tommen and Myrcella. Atleast he has not found it yet.

But if he manage to prove it then there will be a civil war. Tywin Lannister will never see his daughter and grand children be removed from the line of succession of Iron throne. The old lion has invested too much to let the throne slip through his fingers. So first he needs to prepare for an eventual confrontation. King's landing is already lost as it is infested with Lannisters. The only other force to even challenge them is the city watch but he did not trust them. Another problem is that outside of Stannis there are no other allies for him here. There was a time that he would have trusted Petyr Baelish but not anymore. After questioning some of his lords he had found out that Baelish has been the one that pushed several lordly houses of the Vale into bankruptcy. Oh there was no clear proof of his doings but all of the lords seems to take a loan from Baelish. Now the old Jon Arryn would have let it go as a coincidence but after looking at the bigger picture he was starting to see the danger this snake posed to the peace among the seven kingdoms. This is the reason that he has decided to call lords Royce, Corbary, Linderly and Hunter to king's landing and personally to fill them in. There was also another personal reason for bringing them here. A knock on his door brought him out of his thoughts.

"Come in." Jon said

Stannis Baratheon entered his office with a grim look. But Jon was not worried as that was the standard facial expression of Stannis.

"Please sit Stannis. How was Dragonstone?" Jon asked

"It is the same miserable rock that was there in my last visit." Stannis said without any emotion

"How is little Shireen." Jon asked changing the subject

"She is well. Now that the Greyscale has disappeared from her cheek she is more happy." Stannis said with hint of a smile but it was quickly replaced by a frown

"Who would have thought the cure for Greyscale was in the North all these years." Jon said with a laugh

"You asked me here for a reason lord hand. Say it." Stannis said with a frown

"Within weeks some of the Vale lords that we can trust will be arriving at King's landing. I will be informing them of the situation that we find ourselves in." Jon informed Stannis

"Is that wise. Can we really trust them." Stannis asked as his eyes showed distrust

"Should something happen to me then you will need their support to save Robert from the lions. There is also another reason. I think Petyr Baelish is working for the Lannisters. I can't allow him to gain power in Vale and already I have stopped one of his schemes from taking effect." Jon Arryn said with a frown on his old face

"In that case shouldn't you expell him from King's landing." Stannis asked

"No. Here I can keep an eye on him. If I expell him he will go to Vale and pass all and any information to Tywin or Cersei. We can't have that." Jon Arryn said

"So what shall we do in the mean time" Stannis asked

"We must gather solid proof. Something that cannot be easily dismissed by other lords of the realm. I am looking for any books written explaining the lineages of great houses. But so far there is no such luck. Stannis when you go to Dragonstone ask the maester whether such a book exists and see if he can acquire it from somewhere. I cannot ask Pycelle as he is a Lannister spy. Also take these with you." Jon Arryn said as ge handed over a stack of sealed parchments.

"What is this?" Stannis asked in confusion

"These are sealed messages written by my own hand. In case I fail I want you to use these letters to inform the other lords. I will also leave some sealed letters with the Vale lords as well. You don't need to worry it is just a precaution." Jon Arryn said with a comforting smile

Stannis collected the parchments and stood up.

"I will inform maester Cressen about your inquiry. He is a well read man. He will be able to find any such book and if it is in Dragonstone I will bring it here lord Arryn." Stannis promised

"Stannis be careful. Enemies are around us." Jon Arryn warned

Stannis dipped his head and marched out of the chamber of Jon Arryn. As the door closed behind Stannis a figure became visible behind Jon Arryn.

"Let the games begin." Robb said with a smirk as he removed the invisibility spell and apparated away from King's landing.

**BARROWTON 295 AC**

Robb Stark apparated into the castle at the middle of the night after he had given some more detailed instructions to Jon Arryn. It was very easy to put Jon Arryn under the Imperius curse. All he had to do was apparate into the Red Keep at night and sneak into the Arryn lord's chambers under disillusion charm . Then with a simple flick of his wand the lord paramount of Vale fell under his control.

Now that his plans were going so smoothly he can concentrate on other matters that are crucial to the North. As he approached his room he saw someone standing at the end of corridor that led to his room. The person was observing his room secretly. Robb silently drew his knife and sneaked behind the person and he put the knife upon the person's neck and with his other hand closed the person's mouth as well. But after a brief struggle he realised it was a women so he relaxed his hand and turned the women around. Robb looked at the scared face of Leana.

"What are you doing here at this time of the night." Robb asked her in confusion

"I saw someone sneaking into your room my lord." Leana whispered as she trembled in shock at the knife near her throat

"Well, let's see who my late night guest is." Robb said as he walked forward towards his room and on the way he took out his wand as he felt an unfamiliar magical presence

He opened the door to his room magically and saw someone trying to open his magical trunk. The person turned around to look at him in surprise. One look at the person Robb knew he was a Warlock from the house of Undying. The warlock quickly took out a vial and threw it's content at Robb but with a flick of his wand he transfigured the poisonous liquid into a snake and banished it towards the Warlock. The snake bit right at his throat and the Warlock panicked. That was the moment Robb hit the warlock with a stunner. The warlock fell unconscious and Robb vanished the snake.

"It seems we have a guest Leana." Robb said as he leviated the warlock into his trunk and bound him with magic.

Robb returned back from his trunk and saw Leana standing in his room. Robb saw a thin line of cut on her neck and realised it was made by his knife. Robb moved closer and raised her chin to look at the thin cut.

"Sorry Leana. The knife is Valarian steel. It is too sharp for it's own good." Robb said

"It's no problem my lord. Atleast you are safe." Leana said as her eyes wandered around the room. This was the first time she had stepped into his room afterall.

"Hmm. Loyalty must be rewarded." Robb said as he licked the cut he made upon her neck and tasted her blood.

Leana moaned cutely and Robb decided he liked to hear more such sounds from her. He looked in her eye and saw her desire clearly and he had some time to spare anyway. So he captured her lips in a steamy hot kiss that took her breath away. He captured her plump ass in his hands and carried her to his bed.

Robb placed her on his bed never breaking the kiss. He squeezed her ass and drew her towards his lap. Leana wrapped her legs around him tightly in response Robb bit her lips. Then his hands wandered around her body unopposed as she purred like a cat. Robb teared off her dress from her chest roughly and she screamed as he immediately latched onto her sizeable breasts. He began to play with her nipples between his teeth.

Even though Leana has been a slave she was never touched by any man in her life. But for the first time she was going to be taken by a man. She was happy that man was her lord who saved her and her family from slavery. That's why she allowed him to do whatever he wants. But that doesn't mean she didn't have any desires herself. So when Robb latched onto her breasts like a hungry wolf her hands took hold of his shirt and with a tug she took it off from his body. Her hands again wandered around his body until she found his pants. She tugged it a few times and finally it loosened enough for her hands to slip inside and she took hold of his cock.

Robb stopped his rough treatment of her perky boobs as he felt her hands around his shaft. He began trailing kisses along her neck and shoulders as he brought his pants down to his knees. Leana began to jerk off his cock and soon he was ready to have his way with her. He wasted no time as he removed the tattered remains of her thin gown and turned her naked body around as his cock now comfortably rubbed along her ass.

Robb spanked her ass making her squeal in pleasure and pain. His right hand cupped her pussy and he began to finger her.

"Ohh, lord Robb.. right there.. yesss.." she squealed in pleasure

"Don't call me lord now Leana." Robb said as he twisted his fingers inside her pussy. She was so wet but he was after something else. With his left hand he parted her asscheek and positioned his hardened cock right at her back door.

Leana felt his cock poking at her other hole.

"No Robb not there." Leana begged as she squirmed in his hands. Robb captured both her breasts in a vice grip using his hands and pulled her towards him and began to pull at her nipples using his fingers making her scream in pain and pleasure also distracting her from the position of his cock.

"I had thought of what I would do to your beautiful ass once I get hold of you. Don't you remember Leana how I would stare at your ass when your mother would serve me food. Your sister Serena thought I was staring at her impressive bust but in reality I was always admiring your shapely ass. It is now time for some of my fantasies to come true." Robb whispered in her ear as he pushed his cock into her ass in one thrust with a grunt.

Leana screamed in pain as her cute rose bud expanded to accomodate his cock. He pushed his entire length into her and sighed in pleasure at the tightness and warmth that surrounded his cock. But he was aware of her pain. So he removed his hands from her breast and slowly rubbed her thighs. Slowly Leana stoped her crying and took hold of his hands and guided them to her wet core. He put his right hand on her wet sex and began to rub her pussy lips making her moan in pleasure. His left hand snaked around her breasts and began to massage her right breast as he held her tight to his body.

Robb made a single thrust with his cock into her ass. This time Leana cried out in pleasure instead of pain. Seeing as she became more comfortable Robb began to increase his speed and began to enjoy the silver haired beauty to his hearts content. A loud cry escaped her mouth as he began to roughly fuck her ass with a wild expression. Soon he felt his hands get more wet as a shudder seems to pass through Leana and she moaned in delight as she cummed around his fingers. With a few more thrust he cummed inside her ass with a grunt.

Robb released his hold on her breasts and she fell on all fours. He began to trail kisses along her spine to her shoulders while his hands rubbed her sides. Leana was out of breath by their activities.

"I am tired Robb." Leana moaned as he began to slowly thrust into her again

"Oh Leana we still have some more time to spend and I intend to spend that tine with you." Robb said as he pushed her face into the bed and began to fuck her ass again. He grunted as he began to enjoy the piece of ass that he had desired for some time.


	9. Another dragon into the game

Robb woke up with a groan and he felt a weight close to him. As his vision cleared he saw the silver haired beauty fast asleep next to him. Leana's head rested upon his left hand while his right hand was freely resting on her hip. He pressed himself to her back and lightly nipped at her shoulder blades. His hands traveled away from her hips and caught her right breast. He massaged her perfect round orb and she groaned as she slowly woke up from her sleep. Leana pushed herself into him and ground her finely shaped ass upon his cock. Once again he became hardened and if it was not for his self control he would have taken her again but it was already late and he was sure Leana's mother would be looking for her.

So Robb shook her shoulders trying to wake her from her slumber.

"Leana, wake up. It's morning." Robb whispered in her ear as he shook her

"Mmm... a liitle more please..." Leana murmured

Robb pressed one more kiss on her eyebrow and covered her body in blankets. He carefully drew himself out from the bed and watched as Leana curled up into a ball. He began to dress himself up and went for the kitchens after locking the door magically. On the way he ran into Jon.

"Robb, Serena told me her sister is missing since last night. Can I assign some guards to look for her." Jon asked

"There is no need. She is with me." Robb said as he walked forwards. Jon was still for a moment but soon ran back to Robb.

"What do you mean by that?" Jon asked as he stopped Robb

"It means we spent the night together. She is asleep in my bed." Robb said in a lax manner

"What, but you... Robb... I don't understand." Jon stuttered

"We can talk some other time. Now I will be talking to her mother and tell her the truth." Robb said as ge walked away from Jon. Soon he reached the kitchen and knocked on the door twice before entering.

"Sheana please stay. The rest of you stay out of the kitchens for some time." Robb ordered. The other workers began to leave the kitchen leaving Robb and Sheana alone. As the door closed Robb waved his wand and constructed several privacy wards.

"My lord. My daughter is missing since last night. Have you found her. Has something happened to my Leana." Sheana asked desperately

"She is safe Sheana. She was with me last night." Robb said straight forward

"My lord?" Sheana asked confused

"She helped me catch an assassin that was after me last night. After that she was with me the whole night." Robb clarified

"My lord is she alright." Sheana asked in worry

"She is fine and safe. She is with me after all. Just bring some food to my chambers or perhaps I will take it myself." Robb said as he took a large clean plate and began to fill it with food

"My lord let me." Sheana said as she helped him fill it. Robb observed her closely and he remembered how hard this women suffered and worked to raise her children. He remembered the reason why he selected the slaver that was selling Sheana and her children. He was mesmerized by the love and devotion this women had for her children and was perfectly willing to sacrifice her life to save her daughters from the life of a slave. It brought up some old memories of his own life in the streets.

"So long as I live she will never cry. She will know no hardships and no one will disrespect her. You have my word, Sheana." Robb promised with conviction. Sheana was about to say something but she quickly caught herself and merely bowed her head.

Robb took the filled plate and walked away from the kitchen. On the way he took two chilled bottles of beer as well. He unlocked his chambers and entered his room. As he closed the door he saw that he had startled Leana and she drew the covers upon her body with a blush.

"My lord I was just about to leave..." Leana started to say

"Don't go. Stay. Break fast with me." Robb said as he sat near her on the bed and placed the plate on his lap and the two bottles of beer.

"My mother would be looking for me my lord I should go." Leana tried to rise from the bed

"I have spoken to her. She knows you are here. Eat." Robb said as he dipped a slice of bread in a tomato sauce and brought it near Leana's lips. She looked in confusion but opened her mouth and he pushed the bread inside. She began to chew it down but looked confused but happy as well. Robb also began to take the food slowly and together they enjoyed a quiet morning.

After they finished the food and the beer Leana stood up with the sheets wrapped around her. Robb took her hand and drew her into a hug.

"Leana, I am sorry for how I treated you last night." Robb apologized

"You need not apologize lord Robb. I am the one that followed into your chambers at late night." Leana said in a sad tone

"No Leana. I am the one that did wrong and I will correct that mistake myself. But I have to ask, do you mind if I change your name slightly?" Robb asked

"What do you mean lord Robb." Leana asked confused

"I cannot court you if you are just Leana. But I can definitely court Leana Belaerys, a direct descendant from dragon lords of Old Valyria." Robb said as he smiled at Leana

"No one will believe that. I am happy enough to know that you would go to that length for me. That is enough for me lord Robb." Leana said happily

"Many will not believe right away. But they will believe when they see a dragon by your side. They will welcome you with open arms." Robb said with a smirk

"I don't understand lord Robb. How can I have a dragon. You were the one to hatch the dragon in the Red Temple." Leaba said confused

"Yes. I am the one that hatched Starfyre. But you and your family are the only people who know that. I am not planning on introducing you as a Belaerys right now. Soon I will but before that there is something that we must do." Robb said as he carried her bridal style making her squeal in surprise.

Despite her protests Robb carried her towards his trunk and with a flick of his wand he opened the trunk and together they entered the compartment.

Leana looked around in amazement as her surroundings quickly changed to that of green hills and freely flowing water bodies. Then she heard a roar and watched wide eyed as a large dragon landed in-front of them near a tree.

"Meet Starfyre, Leana. He might remember you from the Red Temple." Robb said as he let her stand on her own legs. He was mindful to not let the sheets slip from her body

"He is so big." Leana said amazed

"Look close to the tree." Robb whispered into her ear

Leana looked closely and saw some multi-coloured stones. That's when she realized they were not simple stones but were dragon eggs. Robb led her towards the eggs and bent down to pick a black and gold coloured egg. Ge gave the egg to Leana. Starfyre pressed his head near her hand startling her but Robb stood behind Leana supporting her.

"I thought Starfyre was a male." Leana asked confused

"Dragons can change sex at will Leana. Starfyre understands she is the only dragon in the world. So for continuing the Dragon kind she changed herself to lay eggs " Robb explained

"That's incredible." Leana said as she dragged her hands through the rough scales of Starfyre

"Now it is time there are two dragons." Robb said as he raised his wand and began drawing runes on the floor.

"Leana, I need your blood." Robb said as he draw a small cut on her hand which drew some blood. The blood dripped upon the dragon egg. Robb healed the small cut and placed the egg inside the runic circle. They moved back from the egg.

"Starfyre. Dracarys." Robb ordered and the blue dragon breathed fire upon the egg.

"Don't you need a human sacrifice." Leana asked

"Not anymore. Dragon flame is enough and my magic will do the rest. The magic in the world is returning stronger. Human sacrifices are no longer necessary for hatching a dragon." Robb said

The flames died down and a small baby dragon with golden scales stepped out of the ash. Robb took the baby dragon in his hand and brought it near Leana.

"Don't be afraid. He is now bonded to you through blood. Name him." Robb said

Leana took the small dragon in her hand and the dragon rubbed it's small head upon her palm.

"Sunfyre. I am naming him Sunfyre." Leana said

"I will take you here from time to time. It is imperative that you forge a deep bond with Sunfyre when he is still young." Robb commented. Robb waved his wand and the sheets that covered Leana transfigured into an elegant gown.

"Come, let's give some time for Starfyre to know her child." Robb led Leana away from the dragons and returned to the room. From there Leana left to her own room only after pulling Robb into a kiss.

After Leana left his room Robb once again entered the trunk and paid a visit to the captured Warlock.

"I must thank you Warlock of the house of Undying. Your actions delivered me someone that I was after in a silver plate. My original plan for her was a little complicated but thank you for your services. Now let's see what's inside your mind." Robb smiled as he used Legilimency and surfed through the Warlock's memories. Just as he thought the Warlock was here to steal the source of magic as ordered by the house of Undying. Robb pulled out of the mind and observed the Warlock.

"Since you helped me get the girl so to speak I should reward you. A quick painless death is it's own reward is it not Warlock." Robb raised his wand and casted "Avada Kedavra". A green light struck the Warlock robbing him of his life. The body was given to Starfyre as food after Robb flew around the internal dimension upon Starfyre practicing several manoeuvres in the sky.

XXXXXXXX

"You disapprove the relationship I have with Leana." Robb asked as he stood near Jon observing the setting sun from the balcony of the castle

"You are the heir to Winterfell. You know you have to marry a Northern noble lady. You will dishonor your future wife and yourself if you pursue Leana. At-least think about the pain you will cause to Leana as well." Jon advised as he looked at his elder brother

"I will not be causing her any pain as I will be marrying her." Robb said

"Are you mad! Do you think father will stand for this. Do you think the other Northern lords will stand for this. You will bring dishonor to house Stark." Jon shouted as he rounded on Robb like a wolf

"Let me ask you this. What is the difference between Leana and any other Northern lady?" Robb asked

"She is a commoner Robb. I thought you knew that." Jon sarcastically replied

"Yes but that is not the reason why others will find her unacceptable. The difference is power brother. A marriage between lordly houses means an exchange of power as the bride brings groom some measure of power. It can be through gold, land, trade, influence and so on. Other lords will oppose if I marry Leana only because they think there is no advantage to be gained. But what if there was?" Robb smiled knowingly

"I don't understand." Jon became confused

"Have you heard about house Belaerys." Robb asked

"No. I don't think such a house exist Robb." Jon answered

"Oh they did exist in the ancient Valyrian empire. They were a prominent family of dragon lords. Leana is a member of house Belaerys." Robb said

"Even if that is true which I seriously doubt thre is still no point. As you said she cannot bring you any more power as Valyria itself is gone and if her family had any power then Leana would not have to work as a servant here." Jon put forth his doubts

"Yes, house Belaerys has no power that we know of but what if Leana can bring dragons into house Stark. That will be the ultimate power is it not. It was something Cregan Stark tried when he made the Pact of Ice and Fire with Queen Rhaenyara during the Dance of Dragons. Obviously he failed as the Targaryens cheated him and went back on their promise. But I can bring dragons under house Stark. In-fact I already have." Robb said smugly

"What!! What do you mean?" Jon asked confused

"Dragons are reborn once again dear brother. When I traveled across Esoss I came across several dragon eggs. For me they were petrified but for someone like Leana they were warm and alive and in return for saving her family she hatched two dragons. One is under my control while the other is under her command. When I marry her house Stark will have dragon riders through our children and no other house could challenge us." Robb explained

"I can't believe this. If the dragons are alive then where are they? I don't see them here." Jon questioned

"They are safe in Skagos. If I bring them here our enemies will know about them and try to kill them. They are young still and requires some time to grow but when they do the world will change forever." Robb declared proudly

"You are serious about this right?" Jon asked hesitantly

"I will not joke about something like this Jon. There are several plans in motion and when the time is right we will take our rightful place in the world." Robb said

KING'S LANDING 295 AC

Jon Arryn looked at the four assembled Vale lords in his chambers with an internal relief. He didn't expect all of them to arrive this early in king's landing but he was thankful nonetheless.

"Thank you for promptly coming here my lords. I have come across a few problems that will probably shatter the seven kingdoms. If the Vale has to survive intact in the coming years I will be in need of your support." Jon Arryn started

"My lord you will always have our support. What has happened lord Arryn?" Yohn Royce asked

Jon Arryn began explaining about his findings regarding the Queen and the illegitimacy of her children. He also informed them about his doubts regarding Petyr Baelish as well.

"Lord Arryn you should immediately inform the king of your findings." Lord Corbary suggested

"Robert will do something foolish in his rage. Besides at this point I have no binding proofs except the appearance of Robert's bastards. Also we still don't know who is Cersei's secret lover. Until a certain clarity is obtained there can be no actions taken against the Lannisters as it will push the seven kingdoms into a civil war. The crown is my responsibility. I was the one that pushed Robert to marry that whore. At the time I thought it best for the realm but time has proven me how wrong I was." Jon Arryn said sadly

"You couldn't have known then my lord. Nobody could have. What can we do to help you?" Lord Hunter asked

"I need your help in protecting the Vale. Petyr Baelish is a snake. Should something happen to me you must destroy his castle in the Fingers and evict that traitor from the Vale. I have already written some sealed letters attesting this order with the king's seal as well as another set of letters that explains in detail about my suspicions regarding the royal children. I want each one of you to keep these letters a secret and use it if I fail to save Robert." Jon Arryn handed over two wooden boxes containing the letters

"We will guard these letters with our lives lord Arryn." Lord Linderly promised

"Now there is one more thing I want you to do. Take my wife and son with you to the Eyrie. They are no longer safe in King's landing. Lord Yohn, I want you to take care of Robin. Find a good knight and make him square for the knight and I am entrusting you the Wardenship of Vale until my son is ready to take the position but only after he is knighted." Jon Arryn said

"As you say my lord. We will escort lady Arryn and young lord Robin safely to the Eyrie. Also we have brought some men with us as you asked. My son Waymar Royce will stay with you and he knows much of the men. There are also some cousins of lord Redfort as well so you can rely on them in case Baelish has influenced other guards." Yohn Royce said

"Thank you my lords. May the Seven watch over us all." Jon Arryn prayed

Jon watched as his wife and son leave King's landing with the Vale lords. It was not easy to convince his lady wife to go to Vale. She seems almost mad with frenzy when he said that but after much shouting and his firm stance naturally weared her down. He was sure his enemies would not have expected him to send his family out of King's landing as he had never ordered any servants to pack anything for a long journey which was a good thing as he was sure Cersei would have found a way to stop his family from leaving this filthy city. Now he can concentrate on his job more easily without worrying about his family's safety.

"Come Ser Wymar. We have a lot of work to do." Jon Arryn said to the young knight as he returned to the Red Keep

XXXXXXX

Petyr Baelish was furious as he paced in his room as rage boiled over inside his mind. This time he was raging at himself for the blunder he has caused. Somewhere along the way he exposed himself to Jon Arryn and the end result is that he lost his most valuable pawn in the Game. Without Lisa Arryn under his thumb and her son safely in the Eyrie his plans have derailed spectacularly. In short the Vale was lost to him so long as the Vale lords loyal to Jon Arryn are in power. Now his only option was to destroy the Vale lords and use Lysa to take control after killing lord Arryn, a task that now became more difficult as the old Falcon was surrounded by loyal Vale knights. The fact that all these things happened without consulting him meant only one thing. Jon Arryn no longer trusted him and that scared him more as most of his plans have not even started to unravel. Now that he has been exposed there was no point in playing all sides and he knew which side he have to choose so as to regain his footing.

XXXXXXXX

Cersei Lannister rushed into her room along with her brother Jaime Lannister. She closed the door to her chambers with a bang and turned on Jaime.

"Jon Arryn knows." Cersei took deep breaths

"Know what?" Jaime asked bewildered

"He knows about our children." Cersei screamed at the top of her lungs

"Don't be mad sister. The old fool can never know for sure. We have always been careful to never be seen by anyone." Jaime confidently said

"Then why has Jon Arryn smuggled that mad women he call his wife and that weak son of his to the Vale in such a rush? Why would he secretly meet the Vale lords in the Hand's chambers before that? No, he knows something as he is now repeatedly seen with Stannis Baratheon in the Flea Bottom searching for someone." Cersei said with a hint of fear

"I didn't knew he sent his wife and son away. When did this happen?" Jaime asked a little concerned

"This evening. They were escorted by the Vale lords and when I talked to Baelish I came to know even he was never informed of this decision for some reason. It was Baelish who informed me about Jon Arryn's regular visits to the Flea Bottom." Cersei informed her brother

"Even if the old man suspects anything he can't prove it. He will be the laughing stock of the whole realm in a matter of days as he would be questioning the legitimacy of every noble born children based on appearances alone. He will have to catch us in the act together for any believable proof which is impossible as we are very careful. There is nothing to worry, Cersei." Jaime calmed her

"Robert already hates us and he will believe anything that old fool will tell him without question. Then our children's head will be on the pike along with yours and mine." Cersei said in a whisper

"Then I will make sure Robert will never even come near our children. He will be dead long before that. If you are still not satisfied I will arrange for more Red cloaks to enter the city discreetly and if a situation comes we will take care of the stags and falcons." Jaime promised her

"That is a good move but above all else we must find what Stannis and Jon Arryn is searching for in Flea Bottom. I have a feeling it is rather important." Cersei said as she thought about what to do now

While all of this was happening the king of seven kingdoms lay ignorant with a number of whores in his bed revelling in carnal pleasures never knowing the first stage of a destructive war was being set up around him.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:****There will be no industrial revolution in the North as the SI was a drug dealer in his previous life and not a well educated person. So no gunpowder, cannons etc.** **Also****, a lot of guys criticized the last chapter about the scene with Leana. So I hope they are satisfied as she is now a shoe in to become queen. I was planning for a Mormont pairing but that is now out of the window. Hope you guys are satisfied.**


	10. Mockingbird's plan

**BARROWTON**

Robb was looking through the exports and imports throughout the entire North. With most of the trade done through the many ports that littered across the North the figures were as accurate as it could get. Braavos, Westerlands, King's landing and Vale were the largest buyers of Northern goods. The Vale buy most of the crops it needs from the North while Braavos needed the diamonds from the North. Braavos also exported spices into the North as well. With the Northern population climbing at a pace like never before some outside exports of food was always a good thing. Braavos also became the largest importer of steel from the North. Most of Essos was now completely dependent on the medical industry of the North and the most demanded item being the concoction for Greyscale. The accidental discovery of this concoction was a great cash cow for the North as it was found out the concoction could rejuvenate the colour, texture, and smoothness of skin if it was used for an extended period of time. Already Robb had set up several factories that we're dedicated to creating different sandalwood products. One of the most sought out products were the sandalwood perfumes and the highest importer of said product was strangely the Dornish.

With perfumes in such high demand, Robb decided to expand them into sprays as well. He only had a very rudimentary idea about its working so he called several alchemists who were mostly working on the further applications of sandalwood as well as the production of Wildfire. In the end, the Alchemists succeeded to bring the idea he had into reality. They managed to create perfumes that were very effective and well sought out in the world market. In fact, the alchemists had the idea to create air fresheners as well which became a massive hit in king's landing. The queen, Cersei Lannister herself ordered a thousand air fresheners a month so as to ward off the smell of shit from the Red keep that clung to the capital.

With the success of beauty products and medicine Robb employed more people who were trained by the alchemists to extract the essence of different flowers across the world. He had absolutely no idea how they were going to do it but he did finance the new enterprises and create a shit load of gold from the business. The wealth that is produced is poured back into the North to improve its infrastructure like roads, ports, towns, villages and castles.

Another success was the creation of a modest standing army in Barrowton. He was proud to say that there was an 8000 strong standing army at his call. They mostly patrolled the roads of North to hunt down any raiders for now. His thoughts were interrupted when Leana entered his room and closed the door behind her.

"Leana, what happened?" Robb asked as she was holding a parchment in her hands

"A raven came from lord Reed. There has been an increase in raids at the Neck by the Frey's. He asks for aid to deal with them." Leana handed over the message

"I was expecting those filthy rats to do something soon. Send a message to lord Reed informing him that I am sending a thousand men to Moat Cailin. It is time the North reclaimed the Neck and kill some unwanted pests that are polluting it." Robb decided

"As you wish Robb." Leana nodded and turned to walk away but Robb pulled her towards him and pressed a kiss to her lips. After some time Robb released her from the kiss but he still didn't let go of her from his grasp.

"What was that for?" Leana asked with a blush

"I just felt like I wanted to kiss you and be sure to visit me tonight." Robb whispered in her ear

"I will come but only if you let me ride Starfyre." Leana arched her eyebrow

"Done." Robb agreed readily

"Then wait for me, my lord." Leana winked at him and walked out of his room.

Robb looked in at her swaying hips dreamily but managed to pull out his mind out of the gutter and went about organising the men needed to take care of some rats.

**XXXXXX**

Later that night Robb lay awake in the bed with a sleeping Leana by his side. As per her wish, he let her ride Starfyre as her own dragon has not grown to a level of carrying someone on its back but it was quickly growing.

After he made sure Leana was deep asleep he extracted himself After taking his Weirwood wand he apparated away from Winterfell. With repeated apparatus, he managed to reach Riverlands and from there he flew straight to the Reach. It was night time so he used the point me spell and traced the path for the Citadel in Oldtown. He had to stop at some points to take rest. Robb was forced to use this mode of travel since he had never seen the Citadel and without the image of Citadel or any parts of the Reach, there was no way he could apparate or create a portkey which would have been easier. After he was properly rested he once again continued the journey until finally his wand swivelled in his hand and pointed to the Citadel. Carefully he landed on the roof of Citadel and observed the layout of the structure. He found an empty corridor which was barely visible. He looked for any guards and found there to be none but he was cautious so he weaved a disillusion charm and silencing charm to hide his presence. Then he apparated straight into the corridor silently.

Fortunately for Robb, there was no one present and a vacant corridor greeted his arrival with a peaceful silence. After making sure all his charms were holding up he concentrated on his wand and held it loosely in his right hand.

"Point me High Septon's diary." Robb cast the locating charm and his Weirwood wand spun in his palm and pointed straight ahead. Robb walked in the straight path until again the wand turned to his right. He changed the direction accordingly and after walking a short distance the wand pointed at a flight of stairs. As he was about to climb up the stairs he saw an old maester being helped down the stairs by a much more younger one. He waited until the duo left the immediate area and then climbed the stairs.

Robb found himself at the entrance of the famed library of Citadel and just for once he found there was no exaggeration on any part as the thing was truly massive. There were books everywhere and sometimes even scrolls filled the shelves of the massive library. Robb didn't feel awe nor did he had a distinct urge to browse through the books like a classic bookworm. Instead, he had an urge to immediately vacate the premises of this unholy place as fast as he could. So he went back to his work and searched for the diary. He found it among a pile of books kept in a wooden chambered box with several diaries of High Septons that came after the conquest. Robb secured the diary he needed in a pouch that he was carrying and immediately apparated outside the Citadel. Once outside he took a rock from the ground and tapped it with his wand and whispered 'Portus'. The rock glowed lightly with a yellow colour and returned back to its natural state. He took hold of the rock tightly and shouted "Barrowton".

Reality around him twisted and broke apart. Within minutes he found himself outside his castle in Barrowton. An apparation later he found himself in his room and made himself comfortable on a chair nearby the hearth. He took out the diary and searched for the date closer to the rebellion and sure enough, he found the reference to Rhaegar's and Lyanna's marriage in the book. A small smile came to his face and he threw the diary into the flames. He watched as the flames consumed the only written proof of Jon's parentage with a satisfied smile. He climbed back into the bed without disturbing the sleeping Leana. With the plans, he has for Jon as well as the Iron Throne this book would only bring unnecessary problems and he would like to avoid such pitfalls. Besides with the changes he made in the political climate of Westeros it was better to be on the safe side until the North manages to hold its own against all of its enemies. That thought brought him to the Moat Cailin and it's ruined state. He didn't touch up the issue till now because of the alarm bells it will ring in the south as well as the huge amount of resources that would be needed for its restoration. With his plans to complete the fleets and road transports the Moat was a secondary concern especially as the Riverlands still provided them with a buffer to the other southern kingdoms. Now that the situation is different and he had completed the construction of Northern fleets which means he could now safely concentrate on building up the Moat Cailin to its previous glory. The castle is the first line of defence against any land invasions of the North by any southern armies he was going to give it a first priority now. It was going to be an expensive job but he was sure he had the necessary funds to pursue the reconstruction of the Moat. With that decision made he went back to sleep.

**KINGS LANDING**

Nowadays sleep don't come to Cersei Lannister these days. If anyone thought it was because of the strain of being the queen then they were very ignorant or mentally retarded. She never considers being the queen of seven kingdoms as a strain rather she found it hard to remain the queen to be a tedious job. The sudden move from the old falcon to send his mad wife and weakling of a son to the Vale caught her flat-footed. Her spies never reported any such plans by Jon Arryn even as she had kept the man and his accomplice Stannis Baratheon under surveillance. Their daily visits to the flea bottom were worrying as she had found out they were visiting the bastards of Robert. While that itself was alarming she was not that much worried as she was sure they couldn't be having doubts about the parentage of her children. Her own father, Tywin Lannister will not stand for such baseless allegations and insult against her children because an insult against her and her children is an insult against House Lannister for which he will retaliate with great force. She knew the old falcon knew this and yet Jon Arryn was pursuing some plot which means he was planning something with that grim, boring Baratheon. Now that the old falcon has secured his family behind the safety of Vale she didn't have that much leverage over the old man which was somewhat worrying.

While the situation looked somewhat bleak she did have an informer in the Arryn camp and right now she was waiting for him in one of the abandoned rooms with her brother Jaime by her side.

"Cersei, I don't know why you are depending on this snake. You know he is as likely to switch sides the moment he sees a weakness in us." Jaime advised his sister

"Then we will not show any weakness in front of him besides we are using him as well and when that use is over we will wash him off our hands." Cersei raised her chin with a condescending look.

Just then they heard a knock on the door and Jaime opened it to find Petyr Baelish with his usual mocking smile waiting patiently by the door.

"Come in Lord Baelish. I was wondering whether you would show up." Cersei haughtily looked at the thin Valeman.

"A summons by the queen of seven kingdoms cannot be disregarded that easily your grace." Baelish replied with a small smirk

"Take a seat lord Baelish. I am sure you must be tired from today's work." Cersei emphasized on the word work but Baelish never showed any reaction to it and merely sat opposite to her. Jaime took a seat near Cersei and decided to stare down at the arrogant man before him.

"So tell us lord Baelish. What is lord Arryn up to these days?" Cersei asked as she crossed her legs

"Nowadays lord Arryn is a very secretive man as you have already found out." Baelish smiled lightly

"So what you are saying is you are useless." Jaime mocked

"I said he was secretive not that I was incompetent. It seems lord Arryn is preparing the Vale lords for a war. Many of my contacts in the Vale are reporting a significant build-up of weapons and armours. Already more men are being called into the service of several lords under the guise of guards." Baelish admitted with a troubled look

"You are sure about this." Cersei sat up with alarm

"Yes your grace. Whatever made lord Arryn make such drastic actions, I don't know but I do know he made such rapid changes after his daily visits to the flea bottom with Lord Stannis Baratheon." Baelish reported and observed the troubled look passing between the Lannister twins.

"This is worrisome Lord Baelish. Has lord Arryn made any contact with other great houses." Cersei asked as she leaned forward in interest

"To my knowledge, no. But he is preparing a network of allies in Riverlands as well." Baelish informed them seriously

"What about the North? He couldn't have left out Ned Stark from whatever he is planning." Jaime enquired

Baelish internally struggled with an answer but in the end, he decided to go with the truth as his need for sticking to the plan won over any personal ill feelings he had for the Starks.

"As always the North remains isolated in all matters of politics your grace. Perhaps lord Arryn is somewhat wary of approaching the Starks because of the current realities." Baelish informed them reluctantly

"What realities are you talking about? The Northerners are barbarians." Cersei sneered

"That may be the case your grace but it is well evident now that the Starks are focused in trade and is not interested in other political entanglements. I think, so long as their trade never gets disrupted they are happy to stay behind the Neck and leave all matters in the South to the South. With Eddard Stark handing over most of the decisions to his son this is the way North is going." Baelish responded with a shrug of his shoulders

"So the Young Wolf is the one that drives the North and not the Quiet Wolf. This is interesting and you are sure lord Arryn has not made any contacts with the Starks?" Cersei asked

"Indeed your grace. There were already some point of conflict between the North and the Vale because of the Sistermen and their pirating ways. While lord Arryn may declare the Sistermen as a nuisance and applaud the Northern fleet for dealing with them, some Vale lords see the actions of the North as a threat. Trade with Braavos has dropped considerably in the Vale because of the rise of North and Northern lords are not happy with the empty platitudes from lord Arryn as they are suffering from raids of Sistermen frequently. Considering the North have much less trouble from Iron Islands than the Sistermen is a cause of friction between Vale and North." Baelish explained

"Hmm…that is good I suppose. If you have nothing further to add you may take your leave lord Baelish." Cersei dismissed the sneaky man. With a bow, Baelish left the room at a sedate pace. Jaime closed the door and turned on his sister.

"What are you thinking Cersei." Jaime asked as he sat near his sister

"Just thinking about Jon Arryn. What could have made the man to suddenly play the game after all these years? I fear he knows our secret." Cersei mused with a troubled look

"How can he know? We have been very careful to this day. If he had any proof he would have already gone straight to Robert." Jaime pointed out

"Why else would he visit Robert's bastards? By now they must have realised Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen resemble the Lannisters more than the Baratheons. Perhaps that's why he is checking up on the bastards of Robert." Cersei looked troubled as she came to this realisation

"If the resemblance of Robert's bastards is their proof then we have nothing to worry about. We can just say the children inherited their looks from you. Their arguments will just fall on deaf ears and by their own logic, most of the children of lords of Westeros will become illegitimate overnight. No one will believe them." Jaime assured her

"But what if Robert believes them? You know how he is." Cersei looked at her twin

"Then I will kill one more king. No one will harm you or our children so long as I live." Jaime promised

**XXXXX**

Petyr Baelish closed the door to his chambers with a sigh. He dragged himself to his bed and fell on it dejectedly with a tired sigh. He was not really tired physically but he was tired because of the role he is now forced to play. With Jon Arryn's sudden shift in personality, actions and the obvious suspicions about Petyr, the mockingbird must play the game more safely and that forced him to pay lip service to the Lannisters. He chose the Lannister side because at the moment they had more power in King's Landing and frankly he doubted he would be welcomed in Arryn's camp.

Frankly speaking, there were not many promising factions that he could depend on. There was that sword swallower Renly Baratheon who dreamed of being a king but he had his head in the clouds. Joining hands with that peacock would be a waste of time as he could already see the fool getting destroyed by a ruthless man like Lord Tywin. Still, Renly will at least have the support of Storm lands and the Reach but as the rebellion proved the largest army may not necessarily win the war. With a fool like Renly at the helm, he was sure any Renly supporters were going to doom themselves to an early grave.

The only person with any competence to provide a challenge to the Lannister power would be Stannis Baratheon and Petyr considered him a serious threat. Considering Stannis Baratheon has secured the support of Vale lords and the lord's of Narrow sea, the second Baratheon would become a serious threat to his plans. But in a way with the Lannisters and the Baratheon brothers becoming evenly matched the aftermath will provide a large opportunity for Petyr and he already has some plans for using this to his benefit. In the coming conflict, he new the trump cards were Riverlands, North, Iron Islands and Dorne.

Thankfully Dorne remains completely isolated from the seven kingdoms and harboured a strong dislike for both Baratheons and Lannisters. With Doran Martell as the ruling Prince, Petyr was sure there would not be any sudden moves from Dorne unless they believe they could take out both of their enemies in one strike.

Then there was the Riverlands and like always it is completely divided in terms of loyalty. If a war breaks out the River lords will take different sides. The Frey's were family to the Lannisters through marriage and Petyr was sure they would be late to support any sides. Then there was the Backwood – Bracken rivalry which will play out as usual. The Tully's were at the weakest right now despite Hoster Tully securing the Northern and Eastern flanks of Riverlands by forging alliances with North and Vale. But now Hoster Tully is old and weak and in his place his incompetent son, Edmure Tully will be at the helm of Riverlands. They would probably try to remain neutral so as to not let the Riverlands fracture.

In Petyr's opinion, it did not matter whether the Tullys choose to make Riverlands neutral as he was sure once again Riverlands will become the playground and host for all the coming battles.

The Iron Islands were a lost cause and he could already see they will not be siding with any of the claimants of the Iron Throne. With Westeros fighting amongst themselves, they would have the time to raid along the coasts again and perhaps they will declare independence as well. The only question remained who would become the prey for Krakens. Would it be Westerlands, Reach, Riverlands or the North? They will provide a small distraction for a time but after the war in the mainland is over he was sure the Ironborn will be brought to heel by the victor.

Finally, there was the North and Petyr envied their geographical position as the North was safely separated from the rest of Westeros. Now that they have a large fleet that guards their shores the North became truly impenetrable. He knew the North was in the process of expansion and it was this process that would be useful for him in bringing the Starks on board. He began making new plans and all his plans now hinge on his ability to convince the Starks to play to his tune.

Petyr came to a decision after much deliberation. He was going to make the Wolfs fight the Stags together with the Lions. The best part was he was going to make King Robert the reason for this unlikely alliance to take hold. Already plans began to form in his mind and slowly he fell asleep dreaming of a day when he sat upon the supreme seat of power in Westeros, the Iron Throne.

**XXXXX**

Robert Baratheon shook awake startling the whores that were lying fast asleep on his bed. He looked around and calmed down as he saw the familiar room of the Red Keep around him. It was the same dream that haunted him since his lady love Lyanna Stark was cruelly ripped away from him. In the dream, he found himself in a tower unable to do anything as Rheagar raped his sweet Lyanna to death. He watched with grief as his only love bleed to death from the many wounds she suffered from the dragon prince. He always woke up when the she-wolf looked right into his eyes with a pleading look.

He scrambled out of the bed and tangled limbs of the whores and found his Warhammer and ran his fingers along its periphery as if he was petting a very dear pet. The hammer calmed him down as it reminded him of how he smashed that silver-haired prick until his chest caved in. He remembered the scene again and felt the blood that clung to his face and hammer as he crushed Rhaegar Targaryen at the Trident. It was a small relief but it could never remove the pain and weight he carried in his heart.

Robert shook himself ou of such morbid thoughts and decided to have a proper bath. After cleaning himself up and applying those fancy perfumes from the North, he made himself presentable. His stomach rumbled and he decided to first deal with filling up some more fat to his belly. With that happy thought, he was about to leave his chambers but someone interrupted his plans. Robert saw Petyr Baelish entering his chambers with an apologising smile on his face.

"Forgive me your grace but I need your attention for some time." Baelish bowed and smiled pleasantly

"Counting coppers is not my area of expertise Lord Baelish. You better talk with Jon." Robert deflected as usual

"While the matter involves the realm I would like your help in some other way, your grace. I would like to request a leave of absence for some time." Baelish requested

"A leave of absence this sudden. Last I checked we were financially not so secure and you want to go gallivanting across the world." Robert asked incredulously

"Your grace, my travel plans will only help to solve the problems the crown is facing as of right now." Baelish looked confident as he said this

"Where are you going then? Is it Braavos?" Robert asked snidely

"The North your grace. I believe if we can come to a certain understanding with the Starks then half of the problems plaguing the crown will be removed. Besides, it will also help me to reconcile with my childhood friend Catelyn Tully." Baelish subtly reminded him

"What has the North got to do with anything here? Don't tell me you are going to ask for a loan from the Starks." Robert asked

"Nothing like that your grace. My visit is to come to certain terms with the North in terms of trade. Some adjustments fro our side and theirs will ensure the crown and North benefit a great deal. If the deal comes through the crown's expenses will go down and revenue will increase. But for this to happen I will have to personally speak with Lord Stark." Baelish insisted

"Fine. You may go but don't go out of your way to disturb the Starks and be mindful of how you speak in the North. They will break you like a twig if you insult the Northerners and I don't want to deal with all the problems that come after it. So how are you going to go? There is a long way ahead of you." Robert asked

"I was hoping to go by land. Land travel would be much faster and safer than sea travel with Sistermen making problems." Baelish said

"Good. Then take some men with you as well. You will need them in case there are any bandits on the way." Robert dismissed him with a shooing motion

"Thank you, your grace." Baelish bowed and left his chambers

Robert's stomach grumbled again and he went to find a servant to placate his rebelling stomach.


	11. Mockingbird arrives

**BARROWTON**

Robb observed the modestly tall building that he had commissioned inside the growing city of Barrowton. The building was a school dedicated to the studies of medicine. This was a joint venture started with the aid of Braavos. Robb had no intention of hiring maesters in the school and he doubted they would even agree to come seeing as he was challenging their monopoly on all fields of knowledge. On the other hand, the Braasvosi were happy to work in the North. For one, it was a high paying job as Robb decided to spare no expense in this little project. Another reason for the cooperation of Braavos was because they saw th8s as a step towards a more free society and they sure have not forgotten their roots. They probably thought that these small projects might break the hold of feudal society in the North. To an extent, Robb was working in that angle but his actions were not aimed for just one goal. Robb always planned everything so as to achieve multiple goals.

Because of his actions, the North became more fertile and as a result, the North produced more agro-products than it needed. There is a limit to export so the rest will become spoiled which will cause financial loss for the farmers. So the only way for the North to avoid an economic crisis was to somehow increase the life expectancy of the people.

Another reason was the increasing population of the North. With more people, there was a need for more work. The opening of mines and a large number of construction jobs definitely employed many but he wanted to make sure the growing medical industry become stabilized. This required a young workforce who could also in the near future replace all the grey rats.

Robb actually started two medical schools, one in Barrowton which was named Barrowton Medical School (BMS) and the other one was in Wintertown named Wintertown Medical School (WMS). He designed the school to provide two major courses. One was for the civilians which included some first aid, common medicines for several diseases and basic germ theory. The other course was strictly for military service personnel or those who have an inclination for military service. Both courses were open for both men and women. The only difference was the military-grade curriculum demanded military service and training.

The modern-day military had medical officers so he was sure in feudal society the presence of trained medical team will increase the chance of survival for the Northern soldiers. The men had to undergo regular physical training, hand to hand combat and weapons training. The women also we're trained for hand to hand combat, physical training along with some finer weapons like crossbows, recurve bows and throwing knives. The objective was to create a steady medical that we're well round up and could be safely deployed into war zones.

To attract more participation from the smallfolk the students were offered free meals for two times a day. The announcement was still taking it's round in the city and the nearby villages. Soon there would be a flood of students and he hoped the school would be able to support the numbers.

There was another interesting fact about the medical school that stood out to Robb. The construction of both the buildings in Wintertown and Barrowton were completed with the use if firebricks and Lime. The usual Westerosi style of using well-cut stones were absent in both of the buildings. The new construction materials were actually the idea if naval officers that Robb borrowed from the Sealord of Braavos.

The new Naval Academy which is now being constructed near Ramsgate and the White knife river were constructed using the same materials. It would not be long-lasting like concrete but it was better than the commend Westerosi buildings. But that doesn't mean Robb was going to change the castle he was living in overnight. The new method certainly produced buildings that were attractive to the eye but he was not so sure about how that would hold up in the climate.

After the inaugural ceremony was over Robb was about to go attend a Cricket match that was being played between two teams formed from the army. But halfway to the ground a messenger came to him and showed him a red coloured glass bottle. That was the signal for a piece of important information from the spies he had planted across Essos.

"Jon, take that red bottle." Robb pointed at the bottle the messenger conveniently dropped to the ground. Jon looked confused but he took the bottle from the ground and delivered it to Robb.

Robb held on to the bottle while he enjoyed the match. Matches like this were regularly held in the army to increase the familiarity among the men and to build trust. The increased physical activity was also a bonus in his opinion.

After the match was over Robb decided to return back to the castle. He entered his room and took the bottle with him and uncorked it. A little shuffling later a rolled parchment fell out of the bottle into his hand. He placed the bottle on his table and read the message.

"Two giant rabbits have been found in the slave of the Titan."

After reading that Robb set the message on fire and watched it burn away. The giant rabbits were the Targaryens and the slave of Braavos was a reference for Pentos. Looks like the last Targaryens have finally arrived just where he wanted them.

His further musings were interrupted by a knock on his door. He waved his hand and unlocked the door. "Come in." Robb called

The four opened and Leana was standing there on the door with a rolled-up parchment.

"A raven came from Winterfell." she said as she stepped into the room. Robb waved his hand again and the door locked itself up.

"What does father have to say?" Robb mused as he took the letter from Leana and began to read. Slowly a small smile formed on his face.

"Is it good news?" Leana asked

"We will soon be having a visitor." Robb said

"A visitor, who?" Leana asked curiously

"Lord Petyr Baelish, the master of coin. He is supposedly coming on behalf of King Robert to discuss certain trade matters with my father." Robb said as he read the message

"Supposedly? So he has an ulterior motive." Leana asked

"I am not telling you. Find out yourself if you are curious." Robb teased her

Ran a pushed him into the bed and stranded him.

"You know I don't like secrets. If you don't tell me I won't make my nightly visits this day." Leana threatened

Robb rolled them around so that Leana was under him.

"Do keep in mind you are threatening a Stark." Robb playfully warned her

"What will the big bad Stark do with me then?" Leana asked innocently

"You asked for it, my sweet Leana." Robb growled as he kissed her and for the rest of the day they never left the room.

**XXXX A few days later XXXX**

Peter Baelish put a smile on his face despite the unreasonable toll those bloody Freys were demanding despite his repeated arguments. The fact that Walder Frey insulted him by calling him a scrawny up jumped loading really struck him. Oh, he would never show it outside but he would never forget the insult and in time he would pay back the old weasel. a

After a considerable amount of gold to cross the bloody bridge of the Freys, Petyr set his foot in the Northern land. He didn't really put his foot down literally but he just rode on horseback and started the difficult journey through the neck. This was the first time he was visiting the North and he really understood why the old Andal kings fell at the Neck trying and failing to conquer the North. During the journey, Petyr felt like he was being watched and that made him very uncomfortable. Finally after hours of safely navigating the Neck Petyr's eye fell on a massive castle and he realized this was the infamous Moat Cailin. Interestingly Moat Cailin was undergoing some renovations when he arrived and there was a lot of activity going on. He saw a small number of men approaching his position on horseback.

"Greetings Lord Baelish. We were ordered to be your escort for the rest of your journey." a soldier said

"More the merrier the journey will be." Petyr agreed with a smile and with the escort of ten more guards he resumed his trip to Winterfell.

**WINTERFELL**

"This time around you will be staying here for more days. I rarely get to even see you now." Catelyn admonished as she led her eldest son around the newly renovated castle

"There are many things that occupy my mind in Barrowton, mother. My presence there is very much necessary. The influence the Ryswells have over the Barrowlands is frightening and even with my presence, it is hard to root them all out. My continued presence there keeps them in check." Robb argued

"I don't want to hear any excuses. You will be staying here for the time being. I am sure the Barrowlands can survive without your physical presence for some time. If you are really that worried just ask for a maester from the Citadel." Catelyn suggested

"Why would I want to invite a Southern spy into Barrowlands? I will make some other arrangements for Barrowton." Robb eventually caved in

"Good. Although I don't understand why you mistrust the masters so much. They have served the realm for thousands of years and you don't have any problems with maester Luwin." Catelyn pointed out

"I hardly trust them because there are very few Maesters of Northern origin and they are hardly sent to any castle. If you really look around the North you won't find a maester of Northern origin. That is one of the main reasons I mistrust the maesters and they seem to have this obsession to lock up all knowledge in their Citadel." Robb said

"I don't know where you get these silly notions about everything Robb and I don't know what to do about that." Catelyn sighed in exasperation

"A healthy dose of caution and suspicion is good to have, mother." Robb argued

"I don't want to argue with you. Now instead of arguing with me tell me of your opinion." She pointed at the changes around the castle

Winterfell now hosted one of the greatest artworks in Westeros in his humble opinion. The entire history of Starks was now drawn on the walls inside the castle. Some of it was sculptures depicting certain well renown Winter kings. Brandon the Burner was shown to be standing on a cliff overlooking the burning Northern fleet. The Wall was drawn with the Night's Watch members standing at the top keeping their guard up. But Robb liked the depiction of Most Cailin and the broken Andal armies that failed to breach the impenetrable castle more than the others. Even the Children of the forest, giants, direwolfs, shadowcats, Dragons and mammoths were depicted with a keen style that would attract anyone. All in all, Robb felt the castle had a lively feel to it.

"Well, mother I have to say this is marvellous." Robb said as he admired the artwork

"You haven't seen the best part yet." Catelyn let out a small laugh and dragged him to room.

Robb's eyes widened as he entered the room. A glass window was on the roof lighting up the room under the sunlight. The walls were lined up with all kinds of weapons like axes, spears, swords and even shields that were all properly nailed to the wall. The most important thing that attracted him was the floor which had a well-depicted map of Westeros and Essos.

"Who drew this?' Robb asked in awe

"One of the new residents of Wintertown drew this. I believe his name is Tremlin and he was once a resident of Volantis." Catelyn said

"How did you convince father to do this?" Robb asked

"It was not easy but I can be very convincing when I want to be. Your father thought it was a waste of time and gold but I thought it would be a fine piece of art. I have heard so much about the painted table in Dragonstone since I was a child and I thought this would be useful in some ways." Catelyn said as she waved her hand at the map

"Do you want me to conquer the entire world mother?" Robb asked playfully

"Goodness no. I want you to look at this map and realize that the world is too huge to fit in your palm." Catelyn said

"What brought this on?" Robb asked curiously

"Your father and I are not idiots, Robb. You are spearheading rapid changes across the North. You have increased the trade fleets and basically made the Manderlys sing praises for you even in their sleep. You expanded the Northern fleet to match the Iron Islands. Then you increased the population if North by bringing in slaves from Essos. You ensured their loyalty by granting them freedom and lands. You have also neutralised most of the political enemies of House Stark in the North. Then you have built a standing army in Barrowton itself. All of this put together makes me believe you are preparing for a war." Catelyn frowned at him as she said this

"I have a feeling that Westeros is moving towards conflict. The Ironborn are building up their fleet and is looking for revenge. Balon Greyjoy hate my father than anyone else. The Southern lords are already murmuring of discontent as the royal court is filled with Lannister men. Dorne harbours a grudge against the new dynasty that cannot be easily pacified. The Baratheon brothers are at odds amongst themselves and the Crown is in deep debts. Like it or not there is going to be a war very soon and I don't want the North to suffer because we stagnated despite the advantages we have. But I promise you we will not be the aggressors in any conflict. All of my preparations are for defending the North rather than attacking the rest of Seven kingdoms." Robb explained

"I hope so. This sudden visit by Petyr has your father concerned and I share some of his concerns as well." Catelyn said

"Don't worry mother. I am sure Lord Baelish is here for something else. Now enough with the politics. I must spend some time with my brothers and sisters. Speaking of which, where are they?" Robb asked curiously after they left the painted room

"They are in the godswood with your father." Catelyn said

"Then let's go and meet them there." Robb said and together they decided to visit the godswood of Winterfell.

**XXXX**

Eddard Stark enjoyed the gentle breeze that was caressing him in the godswood. This is the place that he felt very peaceful especially when he had his children with him. The presence of Old gods was so soothing even his wild daughter Arya became as quiet as the night. Little Rickon had already fallen asleep in his lap while Sansa and Bran were just enjoying the peace and quiet just like he was. He heard footsteps and that made him turn around and he was greeted by the smiling face of his eldest son and wife.

"I didn't know Arya could sit still anywhere but I stand corrected." Robb joked as he saw his normally wild sister sitting quietly under a Weirwood tree.

"Brother!!!" Arya stood up in joy and rushed at her eldest brother and fell into his inviting arms. Not to be outdone Sansa and Bran decided to join in on the fun and threw themselves around Robb which made all of them to fall on the ground. Rock on giggled seeing all this happen comfortably in his father's lap.

Edward stood up with Rickon still in his hand. Catelyn moved near him and took Rickon into her hands.

"Stop hounding your brother children. Let him breathe for a moment." Eddard said as he watched his children struggled to stand up with some amusement.

"The pack seems to be stronger now." Robb said as he stood up from the ground dusting off the dirt from his clothes.

"As it should be. Welcome back to home, Robb." Eddard said as he pulled his son into a brief hug

"Its good to be back." Robb replied with a smile

"So, what have you bought me for my name-day.?" Arya asked impatiently

"What makes you think I brought you anything?" Robb tested her

"You gifted Sansa that silly necklace she wears around every day. So you must have brought me something." Arya said as she huffed

"Don't you start with my necklace, Arya. It is a beautiful necklace and it even has a wolf in it." Sansa said as she showed off her necklace

"If you want your present I recommend you look for it in your room. There is also a present from Jon. He sends his best and apologies for not being here in person." Robb said

Arya ran away from the godswood aiming straight for the castle. She was closely followed by Bran and Sansa soon fell in step with them.

Eddard was about to suggest that they return back to the castle but was interrupted by a guard entering into the godswood.

"Forgive me, my lord. Lord Baelish and his men are nearing the gates of Wintertown." the soldier reported

"Ensure they get safe passage. I don't want any unnecessary incident to occur." Eddard ordered

"Yes my lord." the soldier went back running

"Looks like we have a mocking bird to entertain." Robb commented as he followed Eddard out of the godswood with his mother

"Don't call him that. I know Petyr since I was a child and I don't want my son to insult someone I see as a surrogate brother." Catelyn admonished

"Maybe I can call him little finger." Robb joked

"Shut up." Catelyn swatted her eldest son on his head

Eddard, Catelyn and Robb stood in the courtyard and watched the men carrying the Baratheon banners enter first and closely followed by the banners of House Baelish. Wedged between the goldcloaks and some Valemen they saw a scrawny man dismount from a horse. The man walked closer to them with a smile and bowed with a sweeping gesture.

"Lord Stark, it is a great honour to meet you in person." Baelish said with a smile

"Welcome to Winterfell. Your journey was without any troubles I hope." Eddard inquired

"Most of the journey was smooth but I believe it might have been better if I sailed in a ship from Kingslanding." Baelish said with a small smile

"It is a long-distance that you have travelled Lord Baelish. I would be surprised if you didn't have any problems whatsoever. I believe you already know my wife." Eddard said

"Lady Stark. How could I ever forget my childhood friend? The North seems to have blessed you, my lady." Baelish complimented

"You can call me Cat, Petyr. We are old friends after all." Catelyn smiled as she gave a brief hug to Petyr

"You are as kind as I remember and this must be the prodigal Stark that managed to pull the North leaps ahead of the other kingdoms in a very few years. The name Robb Stark is spoken regularly in the South with admiration and often times with jealousy." Peter said as he shook hands with Robb

"I will take that as a compliment." Robb smiled lightly

A servant came near them and presented a plate with bread and salt to Petyr thereby ensuring guest rights we're offered.

"Come. You must be tired from the long journey and the sun is setting. Take some rest and dinner will be served shortly. We can discuss other matters tomorrow." Eddard said

Petyr nodded and together they entered Winterfell.

**XXXX BARROWLANDS XXXX**

Jon relaxed into his bed. In the absence of Robb, he had to manage everything around Barrowlands. He was thankful for some of the helpers that Robb had with him as he doubted it would have been easier without them. A frantic knocking brought him out his thoughts.

"Who is it?" Jon asked curiously

"It's Serena. Please open the door. It is urgent." her panicked voice could be heard

Jon opened the door to find a panicked elder sister of Leana.

"What happened Serena?" Jon asked

"Leana fell unconscious in one of the guest room." she was out of breath from all the running

"Where is she now?" Jon asked as he closed the door behind him and followed Serena

"She is with healer Aron. He asked me to immediately call for you. He wouldn't say anything to me or mother." she wailed

"Don't worry. Nothing is wrong with her." Jon consoled her as they entered the healing room

"Aron, what happened to Leana? Is she suffering from a fever?" Jon asked

"Nothing of that sort. There is nothing to worry about. She just needs a long rest. Don't let her do any stressful work around here. She will be fine." Aron said aloud

"Come. I want to speak to you about something." Aron murmured silently

Jon and the healer stepped out of the healing room and closed the door to ensure privacy.

"Is Leana alright?" Jon asked seriously

"She is alright. She just needs some rest. Can you ask lord Robb to be here as soon as possible?" Aron asked

"Why? If you need anything ask me. I can ensure whatever medicine you need will be here as fast as possible." Jon said earnestly

"Jon. Leana is pregnant. If you can, inform lord Robb as fast as possible." Aron said as he went back into the room leaving Jon alone in the corridor.

"Oh shit." Jon murdered as he realised things we're going to get a little difficult in the coming days.


	12. Widling raids and annoying children

**WINTERFELL**

Petyr found the North a beautiful place. Considering that he had lived the last few years in the shithole that was King's Landing anywhere else might just look beautiful and peaceful. Still, it was a miracle that the North had changed to this degree in a few years. For thousands of years, the North has remained a cold wasteland and one of the poorest kingdoms in Westeros. This has rapidly changed in the last few years and the North began to climb up in produce and commerce. Trade was booming in the North like never before and it was affecting the rest of seven kingdoms.

The Reach was most affected by these rapid change of events. It was not felt at first but the fact that North stopped buying anything from the Reach and supplanting many of their products by Northern ones really did a fair job of creating a dent in the Reach's finances. The Riverlands were also in the same boat but at least they were successfully able to shift their business to Vale, Crownlands and King's Landing. The old alliances came into play as the Vale, Riverlands, Stormlands, North and Westerlands came together to support each other which left the Reach out of the loop. The lack of political power should have really stung the Tyrells and the Reach lords were forced to sell much of their produce to Dorne and Iron Islands at a very reduced price. Over the years this state of affairs continued and the farmers of Reach were left unemployed in many cases. Even their encroaching influence on Renly Baratheon seems to not do much good as the Stormlanders never forgot who invaded their lands in the rebellion.

In the grand scheme of things, this was to his advantage as it weakened one of the strongest kingdoms of Westeros. The Tyrells were already weakened with vultures circling around Highgarden for a chance to take them down. Thankfully the Tyrells were saved as all the Reach lords were equally hit in some ways and thus weakening them collectively.

Now his own position in court was at peril. Stannis most certainly will have the support of Vale and perhaps the Riverlands as well. Renly will be supported by the Reach and Stormlands and Lannisters are unfortunately without an ally. That was going to change today and he was going to even out the players of the great game.

"Lord Baelish, you seem to be troubled by something." Robb Stark said and brought him out of his musings as he looked at the curious faces of Eddard Stark and Robb Stark

"Forgive me, my lords. The matters of the Capital still follows me and I find myself quite distracted occasionally." Petyr said with an apologetic smile

"Perhaps we can speak more freely tomorrow after you are more comfortable." Eddard Stark suggested

"No need for that lord Stark. The King only allowed me a very limited leave of absence from the court. If you are agreeable I would like to settle all matters today itself." Petyr said as he didn't want Jon Arryn to have too much leeway pursuing and retracing many of his plots. Even this littke trip was a risk in itself but

"Well, we are waiting for you to start lord Baelish." Robb said as he waved his hand in a go on gesture

"Yes, of course. The crown is in a desperate position. Right now the crown is in debt to the Iron Bank, Lannisters, Tyrells and many other merchants which is unfortunate and it is increasing at an alarming rate." Petyr informed the two Starks

"How could this happen? Aerys left the treasury overflowing with gold." Eddard stated with disbelief written all over his face

"The rebellion caused damages to all kingdoms and King's Landing itself had to be rebuilt in many places. The Greyjoy rebellion again proved to be a costly affair. The crown had to lower the taxes of Westerlands, Reach and Riverlands due to the damages that they suffered. Then the North stopped buying anything from the South which has put the Smallfolk out of work. There is also the fact that the King spends too much gold in extravagant tourneys that he conducts more than twice a year. All of this combined has pushed the crown into debt and I am here with a solution to some of the problems that are plaguing the capital and I believe the North has the power to help the crown." Petyr said as he took a sip from a glass of Northern beer

"If you are about to ask us to buy excess grain from Reach or Riverlands then you are wasting your time. Our land produces much of what we want and we are not going to bend over just because of a few Southern lords." Eddard said strongly

"Nothing of that sort lord Stark. I am merely asking for you to divert your shipping to King's Landing. If your trade vessels unload your goods in King's Landing then we can at least hire men to transport the goods to Stormlands, Dorne and Crownlands. This will increse revenue of the Crown significantly." Petyr suggested

"So your plan is to suggest that we stop our trade ships from going to Stormlands, Dorne and Crownlands. How is that going to be of any benefit to us?" Robb asked incredulously

"The crown is willing to reduce the port duties for Northern vessels so long as Dorne, Stormlands and Crownlands are left out of your trade fleet's reach." Petyr offered

"You are asking us to cut off trade to two kingdoms and the Crownlands for little of value in return. I see no benefit for the North in this deal." Eddard observed

"I thought you would be much more receptive of this deal and help out your oldest friend." Petyr mused as he observed Eddard more closely

"I would love to help Robert but not at the cost of North's suffering. We are still pipicking up ourselves slowly lord Baelish and what you suggest will set us back and damage our growth." Eddard said with a grim face

"Then how about this. We can come to an agreement with some of the goods that you can deliver to the Stormlands, Dorne and Crownlands via your trade fleets. The rest of your goods can be delivered to the ports of King's Landing and the capital will then supply these goods to Storm lands, Crownlands and Dorne for a period of five years. Is this deal agreeable?" Petyr asked

"Reduce it to three years." Robb bargained

"I can only go as low as four years." Petyr countered

"Ok, four years is agreeable only if the crown is willing to grant a city charter to Wintertown and return the Gift back to the North under the ownership of Starks to do as we see fit." Robb didn't let go of the chance to snatch that away as it could seriously boost the political hold of house Stark over the Northern lords.

"You know I can't guarantee that." Petyr complained. "Only the king has the power to issue a city charter and transfer the ownership of the Gift."

"This is the deal we are comfortable with Lord Baelish. If you can meet all our demands then what you want will also come to pass." Robb said as he adjusted himself in his chair

"Say that I can make the king agree to this deal we must discuss the goods that will be exempted from Dorne, Stormlands and Crownlands." Petyr said after thinking it over in his head

"The glass products will be delivered by our fleets. The rest of the goods can be negotiated." Eddard said

"Very well Lord Stark. Let's discuss in detail." Petyr said and they discussed the finer points of the deal for some more time while he was laughing in joy at the trap that he set up. Now all he needed was the King to support this deal which would be child's play for him.

**XXXXX**

Robb watched Baelish leave Winterfell with a proper escort. The man might be a cold-hearted snake but Robb could respect the man for his persistence to pursue his goals at any cost. From what Robb could glean from Baelish's mind the Valeman thought to bring the Starks on the side of Lannisters by making the Starks invest too much in King's landing. That way when the war begins the Starks will come into conflict with Stannis and Vale.

It was a good plan and Baelish was already planning to further tie the Starks close to the Lannisters by putting the idea of Joffrey marrying Sansa into the head of King Robert. Now that was where Robb drew the line as he was protective of his family and there was no way that he was going to sacrifice Sasa's life to that bastard in King's Landing.

There was only one way that could save Sansa from being betrothed to that monster and that was by finding her a proper match before a proposal come from King's Landing. So that means he will have to find a Northerner that he could trust that will protect Sansa. Fortunately, he already had someone in mind and all he needed was the permission from his father.

"So you want me to speak with Rickard Karstark regarding a possible match between Sansa and his son Harrion Karstark. Why the sudden interest in Sansa's marriage?" Eddard asked after he heard the plan from his son

"Things in the South are not going well. King Robert may seek allies and it's no secret he has been eager to unite house Stark and Baratheon for some time. Before he gets any ideas to ask for Sansa's hand in marriage to his son I want to ensure she is not available. We do need a reason to reject the proposal after all." Robb explained

"Are you sure about this? Joffrey might be a good person and the rumours about him might be false." Eddard argued as he had some trouble believing a son of his old friend would become so similar to the Mad King

"Do you really want to risk it, father? We, Starks, don't do well in the South. I would rather have my sister near me where I can always come to her defence easily if something goes wrong. Besides, the Karstarks are our family and is one of our strongest supporters. Isn't it better to reward our allies and strengthen our bonds to the Northern lords." Robb argued

"I would also like to keep Sansa safe in the North. Very well, I will send a raven to Rickard Karstark tomorrow itself." Eddard eventually caved in

"Thank you, father." Robb said as he let out a relieved sigh

"Why chose the Karstarks? There are other strong houses in the North that would be deserving of a match with a Stark." Eddard asked curiously

"I personally know Harrion as he occasionally comes to participate in the horse racing tournament that I hold in Barrowlands. He is a good man and he will treat Sansa like a Princess." Robb answered

"Hmm. That is a good reason as any. Speaking of marriages what about yourself?" Eddard asked as he thought this would be a better time than any to have this conversation.

Robb was saved from answering that as Maester Luwin rushed in with a small rolled-up parchment in his hand.

"My lord, Lord Umber reports several wildlings have crossed the Wall. He is of the opinion many of them have already moved far inland." Master Luwin reported with a troubled look

"Why hasn't he increased patrols as I ordered him to? He knows the Night's watch is terribly understaffed to man all the towers on the Wall." Eddard heatedly asked

"There is a lot of ground to be covered all along the Wall, father. Lord Umber's men might have caught some of the wildlings and using that as a distraction another group must have slipped away. I will take some men with me and find the wildlings. They could not have gotten far away from Last Hearth." Robb said

"I will alert the nearby lords of the situation. Robb, take as many men as you need and be careful." Eddard warned

"Don't worry father. It will take more than some stupid wildlings to even put a scratch on me." Robb said confidently and he went back to the courtyard to gather the men and the necessary supplies for a long journey

**XXXXX**

Mysha had lived most of her life in a small village west of the Long Lake with her father, mother and two brothers. Her father was a fisherman and that was how her family made a living. Naturally, her elder brother followed inner father's footsteps and took on the profession. Life was normal until one day news began to spread across her village that the Sun was shining brightly from the Neck to Winterfell. Bards from across the whole North began singing songs about the eternal spring. Her father had dismissed all this as nonsense but soon people began to migrate further South. Her father again insisted this was just rumours and warned her family about the might of Winter.

Regardless of what her father said more and more people began to move away from her village seeking new life. Tales of full bellies, a modest roof over the head, warm air, good pay and sweet beverages began to spread like wildfire into her village. Her second brother expressed his desire to go to Wintertown and see for himself if the rumours were true. Her father and brother had a huge fight because of this but in the end, her brother managed to convince their father and mother to let him go.

All of this happened a few years back and now her brother returned back to their home village with a pretty wife. Apparently, her brother had ended up in Barrowlands when the heir of Winterfell, the Young Wolf, took charge. It was at this point her brother who had worked as a smith managed to find himself in a position in the army that Lord Robb was forming. Along the way, her brother had married a Tyroshi women and decided to bring their entire family back with him to Barrowlands.

Mysha was very happy to hear that as she became enamoured with the tales spun by her brother's wife about the opportunities for women and the festivals in Barrowlands. It was with greatest reluctance that her family decided to relocate to Barrowlands. The new roads that has been built in the North was godsend as it helped to let her family move faster and safer. There were a lot of other people with them on the way. Most of them were going straight to Wintertown and some to the new port in Torrhen's square.

On the way to Wintertown they made a stop in a small village to replenish their supplies. After staying the night they hit the road early in the morning. She was walking with her brother's wife when she heard screaming from the woods around the road. She saw several men dressed in rags charge at their group screaming, brandishing bows and wooden spears. She immediately took the hand of her good sister and ran as her brothers and other men tried in vain to fight the charging men. She stopped running to the other side as she saw more men coming from that side as well. Just as those men were about to reach them a rain of arrows punched through the charging men putting them down for good. Several men on horses came to their rescue and began cutting down the men one after the other. She looked around in fear and it was an all out battle around her with no way to escape. As she looked at the men that came to their rescue her eyes stuck on the Direwolf banner.

"The Starks are here." She screamed in jubilation and she immediately clapped her mouth shut as she blushed in embarrassment

**XXXXX **

Someone is a fan of House Stark, Robb thought as he stabbed his sword through the neck of a wildling and tore it out making the body fall lifeless on the ground. He nudged his horse forward and cut off the head of another wildling who was trying to force himself on a woman.

"Surround the wildlings and box them in from the other side. Let no one escape." Robb ordered to his men as he along with a few men jumped down from their horses and searched for more opponents. Half of his me split off to surround the wildlings who were attacking from the other side.

Robb found two women huddled together by the side of a cart.

"Stay under the cart and you will live." Robb shouted as two wildlings rushed at him raising their wooden spears. With a flick of his sword he deflected the spears and quick as lightning he drew a knife he had on his hip and ran it through the throat of a wildling. The wildling fell down on his knees desperately trying to stop the bleeding but one of Robb's guards took the wildlings head with a swipe of his sword. That enraged the other wildling and he threw his spear straight at Robb.

Robb dodged the spear but got tackled down to the ground by the wildling. Robb lost his grip on his sword as he received a punch from the wildling. Before Robb could retaliate the wildling began to choke him. Robb tried to break the hold of his assailant but the wildling's hold on his neck was strong. With his air cut off, Robb became desperate and he took a handful of sand and threw it straight into the wildling's eye. That seems to do the trick as the wildling relaxed his grip by which time Robb delivered a punch straight to the wildling's throat. The wildling fell backwards struggling to breathe and spit out a mouthful of blood. Robb quickly found his sword and knife and stabbed the wildling through the heart with his sword. Robb kicked the corpse off his sword and one of his guards came near him as the fighting began to set down.

"We have taken two prisoners, my lord. The rest have been dealt with." The guard reported

"Good. Where are they?" Robb asked as he watched his men help the two women from under the cart

"This way my lord." The guard led Robb where the others had captured the wildlings. Surprisingly both of them were women.

"I am impressed. Not many can say that they get past the Wall and travel this far inland. If you are cooperative I will consider letting you live. What do you say to my offer?" Robb smirked at the two wildling women

"Don't say a fucking word Mira. The kneeler won't keep his word and we don't bow to anyone." The older women snarled as she tried to stand up despite the restraints

"You made your choice and I respect that." With that said Robb stabbed her through the abdomen

"You are very brave but very foolish as well." Robb said as he pulled back his sword letting the wildling women bleed out on the ground. With that done he turned his eyes towards the next one who was much younger than the one he just killed.

"If you want to be brave like your friend please do so. With or without your help I am going find all the other wildlings and I am going to kill them all. Unlike them, you have a choice to live or die right now. So choose wisely." Robb said as he cleaned the blood from his second using the animal skin that the wildling girl was wearing making the girl shiver in dread

"I will tell you everything." the wildling girl managed to stammer out

"So Mira tell me. Are there any more wildling parties this side of the wall? If so where are they? What are their numbers? How did you get past the wall?" Tell me everything?" Robb ordered and the girl began recounting her journey and the other wildling group that had moved east of the Long lake. After hearing everything from the girl Robb made a decision to visit Last Hearth and have a word with the Umbers.

"My lord, if the girl speaks the truth then the other wildling group must have travelled in the direction of Karhold. " one of his men suggested

"You are correct Terry. We will travel further North to Last Hearth and meet Lord Umber. From there a raven can be sent to Lord Karstark about the wildlings. After that, we go to the Wall." Robb said

"My lord, we are going to the Wall? But why?" Terry asked gobsmacked

"I must have a word with Lord Commander Mormont and inspect the Wall itself due to the breach in security. I was planning to inspect the northernmost lands for some time and the opportunity has presented itself." Robb commented and he climbed on his horse and slowly made his way to the gathered smallfolk

"Are any of you injured?" Robb asked and a few of them murmured 'yes'. Robb looked for the healers among his men and said,

"Treat the wounded to the best of your abilities while the rest of us will scout the place for any more wildlings." Robb ordered

"My lord, what about the wildling girl?" one of his men asked

"Let two men escort her back to Winterfell. My father will need to hear everything about the situation beyond the Wall from her but keep her alive. I will deal with her when I return to Winterfel." Robb ordered as he looked at the fearful look Mira was shooting at him with a smirk

Two men took Mira into their custody and one of them tied a rope to her hands and bound her. With the prisoner secured they led her away from the site straight to Winterfell.

After thoroughly searching the area to find no trace of any wildlings and treating some injuries of the smallfolk they began their journey to Last Hearth and eventually the Wall.

**XXXXXXX**

Jon Snow cursed the timing of it all. Everything was going smoothly until Robb went on a trip to Winterfell. Now, Leana was pregnant but the more important problem was that she was not waking up after she fell unconscious. There were times she would wake up but that was for a small amount of time and she was always asking for Robb. He had hired many of Robb's healers and hired some even from Essos but every one of them had failed to heal her ailment. As if this was not enough, Robb had gallivanted away to hunt down wildlings at a time like this.

To get some peace of mind he went straight to the godswood. Jon knelt before the heart tree and prayed to the Old Gods for the safety of Leana and her child.

"Its no use blood of Brandon." A voice spoke to him as a whisper in the wind startling Jon and he said up warily

"Who is there?" Jon's hand went to the pommel of his sword as he looked around for the speaker

"Look up." a small voice whispered and as Jon looked up he was left gasping like a fish out of water

"You are…What? How…?" Jon stumbled back from the Heart tree and fell on the ground as he stared breathlessly at a small being with chocolate brown skin dressed in tree leaves of all things

"The First Men called us Children of Forest but we were born in this world long before the Age of Man came to be. You may call me Rain as that is the closest translation of my name in common tongue." Rain said as she jumped down from the tree to take a closer look at Jon who scrambled back as if he had seen a ghost

"I thought all the Children of Forest were killed during the Andal invasion?" Jon asked surprising himself that he could speak normally despite the situation he found himself in. Right now he was in the presence of a being that has not been seen for over a thousand years and that was making him a little light-headed.

"Only the stubborn ones held on to their lands and died. The rest of us survived beyond the Wall. Anyway, I didn't travel this far to speak about my people. I need to speak with the other Stark living here." Rain said as she looked around the place trying to spread out her senses

"The other Stark…? You mean my brother Robb?" Jon asked confused

"Yes, that one. The one with red hair and blue eyes. Where is he? I must immediately discuss a matter of great importance with him." Rain spoke with an urgency that made Jon sense there was some trouble going on

"Last I heard he has gone to take care of some wildlings near the Long Lake. Why do you want to see my brother?" Jon asked with a tired sigh

"It is about his mate. She is in danger along with everyone in the North. There is no time to explain. We must immediately find your brother and bring him back to her side." Rain said with a sense of urgency

"I have dispatched some men to inform him of her condition but you can help her in the meantime can't you?" Jon asked hopefully and Rain paused in thought and then answered

"I can stabilize her for some time but your brother must be here before it is too late. Lead me to her and I will do everything that I can." Rain finally said but she knew it was partially a lie. She had no idea what would happen but she knew the cursed Valyrian blood with the strong magic of Robb Stark will only bring doom upon the world. She was oath-bound to protect this land from such threats and that is what she is going to do regardless of the consequences.


	13. The Wall and Children

Robb realised something very important as he and his men neared Last Hearth. It would be an insult to all castles if he called the ancestral home of Umbers a castle. Frankly, he had no idea why the Umbers continued to live inside a building that had more wood than stones in this hellish cold climate. In a sense, he could really understand why the Southerners call the people of North barbarians in some cases. Frankly, there was not much of a difference in between the Wildlings north of the Wall and those on the south of the Wall. Both groups were stubborn, thick-headed, have no attractions to the finer things in life, too set in their ways and an unshakable pride in being a pain in the ass for moderate reformers like himself. Robb had to deal with a fair share of stubbornness before he managed to drag the southern parts of the North out of poverty into prosperity. So he was not at all looking forward to spending some time with the Umbers who were the ultimate poster boys of stubborn traditionalists. Even if that's the case Robb was not going to show his dictate to the people so long as they stayed loyal to him and House Stark. There were already some plans floating around his head to change the sorry state of the northern half of his kingdom after he was sure to purge all possible enemies and resistance.

Speaking of enemies the Boltons have gone strangely silent after he dealt with Ramsey. He should really have to look into Roose Bolton and whatever shenanigans that the leech lord was up to nowadays. But that was for another time as for now Robb had to greet the Umbers. As Robb and his men rode into the courtyard he could see that Smalljon and Greatjon were there to greet him along with the rest of their family.

"Welcome to Last Hearth, Robb Stark. Your father sent a raven informing us that you have gathered up men and was sweeping the North to deal with the Wildlings." Greatjon greeted Robb with an expectant look towards the end as they shook hands

"We found one group and now only one among them lives. She should be in Winterfell by now under interrogation." Robb assured the giant Umber and after a pause, he continued, "Another group has gone in the direction of Karhold and I was hoping you would send a raven to inform the Karstarks."

Greatjon broke into fits of laughter and pulled Robb into a tight bone-crushing hug.

"Shouldn't have doubted a Stark. You are a Stark alright and don't worry we will be sending the raven right away. Maester, send the raven to Karhold and inform them of a wildling group in their lands." Greatjon released Robb from his hug which paved the way for Smalljon. After a round of hugs and a brief introduction to the rest of the Umbers, Robb along with Greatjon and Smalljon found themselves sitting around a campfire discussing the recent events with Robb.

"I had thought house Umber would be able to keep out any wildlings and yet they managed to overcome your defences and reach as far as Long Lake. Why is that?" Robb asked curiously as he was largely ignorant of the goings-on in this part of the North

"We are lacking in manpower to properly patrol the Gift, Lord Robb." Greatjon grumbled unhappily

"Why is that?" Robb asked

"The smallfolk have been moving away in search of warmer climates in the last few years." Smalljon said with a pointed look at Robb

"Ah, I never thought about it that way. I can understand the difficulties it may have caused and rest assured I will find a solution to mitigate this mass migration." Robb promised and it was an honest one as he couldn't afford to hold all the people in the southern part of his kingdom and leave the northern half undefended. In fact, he was already planning to conduct a detailed survey of the population in his lands.

"That is just one of the reasons Lord Robb. Usually all wildling raids come from the coasts as that was the only way around the Wall. But this time the wildlings surprised us by climbing over the Wall. Our patrols were concentrated on the coasts and we missed the wildlings that climbed over the Wall." Greatjon said with shame

"No need to be let down Lord Umber. No one would expect these wildlings were capable of climbing over the Wall. It seems the Night's Watch has truly fallen into bad times if they are not able to keep out Wildling raids seven with a 700ft tall wall." Robb mused and he began to think of ways to deal with this particular mess. There was no way that he was going to let the Wildlings run amuck and cause havoc.

"Lord Umber how about I lend you some of my own men from Barrowlands? They do need some experience in battle and it might as well be against these wildlings." Robb suggested candidly

"The Umbers have held back the wildlings for thousands of years Lord Robb. We don't need help unless there is a king beyond the Wall we don't know about." Greatjon rumbled angrily

"Forgive me I didn't mean to insult you or your house Lord Umber. I was hoping that some hands-on experience in the field will toughen up some of the men sworn to me." Robb could see that was not convincing the proud Umber so he took another approach

"Think of it this way lord Umber. My men will be able to patrol the Gift and perhaps take over some of the towers of the Wall. This way we can protect the North from further Wildling raids." Robb suggested and had could see that his words were being considered by Greatjon

"I guess I could use some more men to properly put down the wildlings and the Night's Watch needs all the help that we can give. But how will we feed an entire army by ourselves? As you can see we are not entirely in a position to feed too many mouths." Greatjon complained

"Don't worry about that. I will be able to send the necessary supplies of food for the men and they can make camps bordering the Gift. Right now our priority must be the safety of the North and dealing with these wildlings. Only by working together can we protect our people from harm." Robb's appeal to a sense of duty to the land finally did the trick as Greatjon Umber finally agreed to Robb's proposal

"You said something about manning the Wall. How will that work?" Greatjon asked after a moment of silence

"I will have to first inspect the Wall before making an informed decision but weekly rotating the men assigned to the Wall may be the best course of action." Robb said as he thought about the situation. Perhaps a thousand men could be spared to man the Wall and patrol the Gift.

After the confirmation from the crown of exchanging the ownership of Gift then he could build several fortifications against willing raids and prepare for the Long Night. There is also the fact that the defences of the Wall will have to be increased as well. It is surely going to be a pain in the ass to install siege weapons and artilleries on a 700ft tall wall. Robb was broken out of his thoughts as Greatjon clapped on his back.

"It is getting dark. Let's get inside the castle and drink ale together. We should celebrate the fact that a Stark is under our roof." Greatjon said jovially and led Robb into the castle

**XXXXXXX**

Robb was getting ready for a good nights sleep after a modest supper courtesy of House Umber. But that plan was thrown out of the window when one of his men reported that there was a rider with a message from Jon. Knowing that Jon would never send a message unless the situation called for Robb's immediate attention he met with the rider and took the sealed scroll personally. Without wasting any time he returned back to his room and lit a candle. Under the candlelight, he broke the seal and began to read the message in the scroll. His heart skipped a beat at the contents of the scroll. He immediately weaved a notice-me-not charm around the room and apparated away with a pop from Last Hearth.

Robb found himself in his room of Barrowton castle. Wasting no time he immediately searched for Leana. On the way to her room, he found Jon sitting right outside her room and his broody brother immediately noticed his presence.

"Robb, how are you here?" Jon asked in surprise as he was of the belief that Robb had gone to the Wall

"We can talk about that later. Where is Leana and what happened to her?" Robb asked in a hurry

"Leana is pregnant with your child brother." Jon said and Robb could feel a hint of disapproval from in Jon's tone but he dismissed that. In fact, he was feeling quite confused for a moment but slowly he digested the meaning behind it and oddly enough he was feeling joy. There was this overwhelming emotion that he was feeling and he felt light-headed all of a sudden. This was the first time Robb felt something like this and he had to support himself on a wall to stand steady.

"Then why the hell did you write a message claiming that she had fallen ill?" Robb asked Jon suddenly even as a smile slowly blossomed over his face at the thought that he was going to be a father.

"We realised she was pregnant but she had also fallen ill Robb. For days she remained unconscious and no amount of medicine was having an effect on her. Thankfully she is awake now under the care of someone very special." Jon paused and a looked at Robb with an emotion the eldest son of Ned Stark couldn't identify

"Actually it's better if you see for yourself. Sometimes I think I am in dream or something." with a that said Jon opened the door to Leana's room and Robb was immediately on his guard as he saw a Child of forest near a bedridden Lean who was thankfully awake

"Robb." Leana cried and struggled to sit up on her bed but the Child of forest pushed her back into the bed gently

"You are still weak from the ordeal so please don't strain yourself." the Child warned and its dark eyes found Robb who was for the moment at a loss on what to do

"You don't need to fear me Robb Stark. I mean you or yours no harm. My name is Rain." the Child introduced herself as she slowly distanced herself from Leana's bed and stood at the corner of the room

"It is a little bit hard to trust beings that try to soy on me using the Weirwood trees." Robb commented snidely as he began to magically scan Leana with his discretely. He found nothing nefarious with her and he immediately took her hands in his own and squeezed comfortingly

"Are you ok?" Robb asked Leana as he sat on the bed near her and pressed a lingering kiss on her forehead

"I am fine, just a little tired that's all. Rain here healed me so be nice to her." Leana frowned at him and Robb reluctantly agreed with a nod making her smile

"You need to sleep Leana. You went through an ordeal that is stressful for your body and do remember that you are with a child." Rain butted in ad Robb made a decision to stay in bed with Leana for the night.

Leana slowly drifted off to sleep on his chest. Jon had also taken his leave after Robb promised to talk to him later leaving Leana, Robb and Rain in the room.

"You have a number of questions, ask them." Rain nodded at Robb encouragingly

"Why did you come here? What is your purpose?" Robb asked the Child as his eyes observed the magical being

"We Father falling ill as well as being pregnant with your child. We had to act before the curse was given life, form and power through your magic." Rain said which made Robb all the more confused

"What is this curse you speak of?" Robb asked in bewilderment

"The curse of Doom and madness placed by the Rhonyar on those with the blood of Valyria. It is a curse fueled by the hatred and sacrifice of a thousand Rhonyar mages. The curse would have taken the form of your child and walked this land bringing untold destruction and death if it was not for our intervention." Rain explained as her eyes strayed to the abdomen of Leana

"Curse of Doom? I don't follow?" Robb said intrigued by this tale even as his hands glided through the silver hair of a fast asleep Leana

"When the Rhonyar civilization fell to the greed and might of Valyrians the water mages of Rhonyar devised a curse at the expense of their lives. They cast this curse upon some of the dragon riders of the freehold. Since then this curse has been passed down from generation to generation. Ran a has that curse in her blood as she is descended from one such dragon rider and the nature of your magic would have given that curse a new terrible strength." Rain explained

"Do you mean that the curse would have possessed the child growing inside her?" Robb asked with a little fear

"That is exactly what would have happened. The ability of your magic to breathe life into inanimate objects would have been used by the curse to take birth into our world in the form of your child. It was by chance that we managed to break the magical blocks that you created in the Weirwood network. Otherwise, we wouldn't have learned she was pregnant." Rain said with a hint of accusation at the part of Weirwood trees

"I don't like to be spied upon by Brynden Rivers or whatever he calls himself nowadays. I refuse to be part of his little game to possess a new vessel and manipulate the world as he sees fit. This is my kingdom and I will decide how it is shaped and governed." Robb stared down Rain with a hard look

"There are those of us who do not care about the three-eyed raven Robb Stark. Do not assume that we are all the same." Rain admonished him lightly as she sat on a nearby chair

"I apologize if I offended you. Tell me more about the curse of doom." Robb shifted the subject while subtly engaged leglimency and tried to slip through the protective barriers around Rain's mind

"What do you want to know?" Rain asked as she plucked an apple from the nearby table and started munching on it

"If the curse of Doom is active in Dragonlord families then does it affect the Targaryens?" Robb asked curiously

"Oh yes. The Targaryens are lucky they managed to dilute their bloodline with Rhyonish blood and that is the only reason they have survived till now." Rain said but seeing the confused look on Robb she began to explain about the curse and how it affected the Targaryens

According to Rain, the Children of Forest had observed the curse on house Targaryen the moment they started the invasion of Dorne. According to her the reason Meraxes and it's rider died was because of this curse. Whenever a Targaryen targetted the people of Dorne they encountered setbacks. But after the last dragon died during the Dance is Dragons the magic of the world began to weaken. This was the only reason why Daereon I didn't meet his death during his first conquest of Dorne. The curse took time to take effect and Daereon died in the Dornish rebellion.

"So that's why the Dornish have that ridiculous plot armour." Robb murmured absently after hearing the strange but somewhat believable tale of the curse of Doom

"What did you say?" Rain frowned

"Ah…nothing. So this curse must have died out now seeing as the Martells married into the Targaryen family after the Dornish war right?" Robb asked as he covered up his slip up

"Not at all. The curse is still in effect. It is just that the curse is not active like it previously was. The Targaryens themselves benefited a great deal from the curse. The curse of Doom is one of the reasons the Blackfyre rebellions never succeeded in dethroning the Targaryens. The curse identifies the Blackfyres and Velaryons as its primary enemy after the Mariah Martell married Daereon II." Rain explained all the while helping herself with several green apples

"That actually makes some sense. So how did you heal Leana?" Robb asked her even though he had already gleaned the answer from her mind by then

"She is lucky that she swore an oath of faith before the Weirwood trees to the Old Gods. That forged a bond between her soul to the Old Gods and my magic was used to isolate the curse from her blood and that of the child she is carrying. The curse will never again activate for those who carry her blood." Rain promised and she had made sure that no trace of the curse was left. After all, her people had learned the hard way not to let a curse gain a personality and independence from the caster. Even now that mistake still haunts the world and this was one of her reasons to step in and expose herself to the Starks this early.

"You didn't really help her out just because of that, did you? You have another motive for being here and I owe you now for saving the life of my child and Leana. Very convenient for you don't you think?" Robb commented with a frown

"You are right. I am here on behalf of my people to create a new pact. The ancient enemy has risen and the Long Night will once again cover the world. If you don't trust my word I can show you." Rain said with a desperate look

"I believe you when you say the White Walkers are coming. In fact, I can promise you a safe haven behind the Wall but if you are looking for a new pact then I need some time to prepare. How about we discuss this matter after my visit to the Wall?" Robb proposed as this would give him time to craft a magical contract. There was no way he was going to allow magical beings that can circumvent his protective wards into his kingdom without ensuring their loyalty first

"In that case, I will contact the rest of my people and tell them to start preparing to journey south." Rain said as she stood up to leave but was stopped by Robb

"Wait. Thank you for saving her." Robb thanked the Child after he carefully extracted himself from the bed

"Barrowton will be honoured to host you until your people are ready to travel here." Robb said as he held out the door for Rain to exit the room

"My people don't live in stone houses Robb Stark. When you return from your journey find me in the forest." Rain said as she disappeared into the darkness of the night

"That went well." Robb murmured as he quietly closed the door to Leana's room and apparated away back to Last Hearth. Robb was out like a light the moment his head hit the pillow as tomorrow he had a Wall to visit.

**XXXXXX**

Looking up at the large mass of ice from its base, the famed Wall of North looked like a mountain. To Robb's eye, this was truly a marvel and a stunning proof of resourcefulness of First Men. It was too bad the First Men went under a long cultural degradation instead of increasing their magical knowledge. For some reason, Robb hated what the First Men became even when they were gifted with tremendous magical potential. He knew it was probably the personality of Voldemort's soul shard that was raging against the incompetence of these people that squandered their vast potential.

Even after all these years he has not succeeded in fully suppressing sudden bouts of psycho-personality of Voldemort in his mind. It was only after engaging in a committed relationship with Leana that he had managed to put a stop to bouts of extreme cruelty that surfaced in his mind. Thinking about what he did to House Manderly still creeps him up sometimes and that was just one of the few things he did that made him question his own sanity. That was why he was eager to finish this little visit and return back home.

Robb and his men discounted their horses and approached the lift that was guarded by several brothers of the Night's Watch. Surprisingly one of them was Benjen Stark which made things all the more simpler.

"Uncle!!" Robb embraced the large man in a warm hug. He had only seen Benjen a few times when he visited Winterfell for new recruits. The best way to describe uncle Benjen would be as more cheerful Ned Stark. The similarities between his uncle and father were uncanny except that Benjen was a little more cheerful.

"Nephew…I hope you are not here to stay permanently." Benjen teased as he broke the hug and smiled at the tall red-haired son of his brother

"If I did that Jon will come here to kill me and promptly join the Night's Watch to avoid the duties that I have dumped on him." Robb joked lightly as Benjen led them towards Castle Black.

"How is he doing by the way?" Benjen asked as he led his nephew to the Lord Commander

"He is fine and right now he has taken up duties as Castellan of Barrowton. Now that he is far away from my mother he has stopped brooding all the time." Robb joked as they climbed a flight of stairs

"It's good to hear that Jon is happy." Benjen said with a smile as he silently thanked the Old Gods for keeping his sister's son safe and happy. It was truly a blessing that Jon had someone who stood by him no matter what even by defying the wishes of Catelyn Tully, he thought as he clapped on Robb's shoulder in appreciation.

Benjen knocked on the door a few times and waited. When he heard the Lord Commander's distinct voice asking him to 'Come in' he opened the door to let his nephew in.

"Welcome, Lord Stark. It has been some time since a Stark from Winterfell visited the Wall barring Benjen of course." Jeor Mormont greeted as he shook hands with Robb

"My father speaks highly of you Lord Commander Mormont. It is an honour to meet you at last." Robb greeted back as he shook hands with the old Bear of Bear Islands and the wielder of Vlayrian sword Longclaw. He could see the Bear headed pommel of the Valyrian steel sword on the man's hip.

"The honour is mine. Please take a seat." The Old Bear himself sat back in his chair and observed the youngster before him with keen eyes. He could see that there was not a shred of doubt in the young man's eyes and that was a relief for him. Too many young lords often did things as a way to claim glory and in the process ended up doing the most horrible things, just like his own son.

"My father might have sent a raven regarding my visit Lord Commander so I will go straight to the matter at hand and save us all the trouble." Robb paused and at Jeor's nod he continued

"As you know we have found two wildling raiding parties south of the Wall. One of them is taken care of by myself while the other is still at large and hopefully, the Karstarks will finish them off. The problem is the Wildlings should not have ever been able to get over the Wall. I mean that's what the Night's Watch is for but having said that I understand the order is facing some difficult times. So please help me understand the woes the order is facing and maybe we can find a solution." Robb said his piece and waited for the Lord Commander Mormont to gather his thoughts

Jeor Mormont observed the young man before him keenly aware there was more to this sudden care for the Wall. He sighed as he took out a detailed map showing all the castles of the Wall and began to explain the crippling weaknesses that the order was facing.

Robb listed with rapt attention to the words of Lord Commander Mormont. It was worse than he thought as the old Bear talked about each castle. Apparently, only three of the nineteen castles were in active condition. There were Castle Black, Shadow Tower and Eastwatch that had active personnel however all the three were severely understaffed. Castle Black had the highest number of combat-ready black brothers and that was just a measly 400. The other two castles have roughly half the numbers of Castle Black with a shortage of armours, swords, shields, spears and most importantly food. For a 300 mile long Wall, this was a disastrous number of defenders and they were stretched thin, working under rationing all under this bloody cold weather. This was truly hell on Earth or Planetoes as some would like to call it.

"Your immediate problems like shortage of armour, weapons and food can be solved. Winterfell alone can bear the expenses of the Night's Watch. The problem is…"

"…the lack of men ready to join the Night's Watch. The order is not what it used to be. I know that but the fact is that the Night's Watch can't really patrol a 300-mile long wall with 800 or so people." Commander Mormont finished unhappily with a huff

"My father cannot force people to take the Black to increase the number of black bothers but for the time being, I am sending some of my men to man the abandoned castles along the Wall. They will be well funded and supplied by myself and Lord Umber has agreed to take command of the men. That will alleviate some of the strain from the Night's Watch. This is a temporary measure until the Night's Watch have enough recruits to man the Wall properly. Will that be acceptable?" Robb observed the old Bear for any reaction but the guy had a perfect poker face and gave nothing away

"There is no point in protesting against something purely because of wounded pride. Not many birds will part with their own men like you are doing. I guess you are not going to say the real reason behind your decision are you?" Lord Commander Mormont asked with a searching look

"Let's just say that I am making a move against an enemy that has yet to show its true face and leave it at that alright." Robb said earning an intuitive look from Benjen and Commander Mormont.

After enlisting the help of a few builders in Castle Black for the renovation of other castles, Robb decided that a fresh view of the Wall was needed. That was why he and his uncle were being pulled up via the lift to the very top of the Wall. It was a breath-taking view as Robb looked down from the top of 700ft tall Ice Wall. The North and South of the Wall were different like Night and Day. The north of the Wall was completely covered in snow while south of the Wall had more green. It was only because of the warming charms that he was not shivering with cold.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Benjen asked as he looked at his nephew's face that was filled with wonder. Wanting to give him some privacy Benjen moved to another shelter far away where he could see a brother keeping the watch.

It was at that moment a raven flew down from the sky and perched on at the wooden railing near Robb.

"Come… come…Fist…Fist…" the raven cawed the words repeated several times until finally, Robb understood what the blasted bird was saying

"You want me to come to the Fist of First Men?" Robb asked incredulously

The raven bobbed its head and it was a strange sight to see.

"Why would I want to speak with you of all people? I am not interested in whatever bullshit scheme you have concocted Brynden Rivers." Robb palmed his wand and a silent Avada Kedavra saw to it that the raven fell dead right over the rail down the Wall.

He scoffed at the attempts of Brynden Rivers to make him travel to the lands beyond the Wall. There was no way he was going to walk into the lair of that wacko. It was not because he was afraid of the Three-eyed-Raven's power but rather what would happen in case of a hostile take over of his own body. It was with considerable effort that he was suppressing Voldemort's personality and rage that tagged along with the Dark Lord's memories. In case the local bird man decided to be over-smart and go for a hostile take over it was possible that Voldemort's personality will emerge back with a fury and that was a scary thought. This is why he was not going to leave the Wall and travel further North like a moron just because some stupid bird invited him.

Speaking of the Wall he could feel the magic that has been woven into the structure. He could feel two types of magic woven together around the giant wall and it was fascinating, to say the least. One was a ward that specifically targeted necromantic constructs but it was so weak. In fact, he was absolutely sure that the ward will crumble into itself at the first contact with the White Walkers. The second magical presence distinctly felt like it was cast by a human. In the simplest term, it was a sticking charm that was holding all the ice together. This magic was strong much stronger than the necromantic ward woven into the Wall.

In the end, Robb came to the conclusion that he needed to add his own wards into the Wall. There were some necromantic wards he knew but he doubted that will hold up against the Walkers. He will have to speak with the Children of Forest regarding the ward and from there he could possibly create a new one. Thankfully there were other ways to increase the defences of the Wall. With some little adjustments, it as possible to install long-range ballistic weapons on the Wall. Catapults are also possible to be installed at the top after having some changes to the structural design. There were many things to be done and surely with all his little projects like Moat Cailin, stone-paved road networks and Ironwood rails he was again going to need more skilled labour. If nothing else this was going to make the smallfolk richer and they, in turn, will be spending the money to buy more beers. Either way he had work to do and staying here at the edge of the world is not going to solve all his problems. With one last glance at the white snowy lands, he signalled for Benjen. It was going to be a long road to home.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Sorry for the long wait. I was sure I could post it early but my Bleach fix got in the way. Anyway, as you guys have noticed nothing happened to Leana or her child. It was just a way for me to introduce the Children into the equation. It was really awkward to mention Rain as a Child in the conversations. I had thought about just calling the whole lot of them as High Elves or something. What do you think? **

**Also, there is going to be a real problem for Robb now. Is he going to marry Leana and make his first child legitimate? That will cause a lot of opposition from many lords as Leana is not from a noble family. Robb can't just introduce her as a Balerys as well because of the red flags that it will raise in the South too early in the game. I have not yet decided on who should marry Robb. If you have any suggestions just point it out in the review or just PM me. **

**Some possible pairings are;**

1) **Leana Balerys**

2) **Myrcella Baratheon**

3) **Mira Forrester**

4) **Leana Balerys Daenerys Targaryen**

**I am inclined to the 4th option as I have a plot that can cover such a pairing gradually. Thank you all for your support and stay safe in your homes.**


	14. Back to Barrowton

**KING'S LANDING**

Petyr walked in a brisk pace through the corridors of the Red Keep all the while thinking about the conversation that he just had with King Robert and Jon Arryn. For some reason, Jon Arryn was very much in support of giving a city charter for Wintertown. Petyr was a little apprehensive about Jon Arryn's support for his scheme but was relieved when the Old Falcon protested in giving away the Gift to House Stark. He smiled at the memory of once again outsmarting the Old Falcon.

_"The Gift has been under the ownership of Night's Watch since the reign of King Jaehareys the Conciliator. The Crown does not even collect taxes from that land for centuries. Even the Winter Kings of old have always left the Gift in the hands of Night's Watch! Why would we even have to entertain the notion of handing over the Gift back to House Stark?" Jon Arryn asked _

_"Your grace, it is true the Night's Watch owns the Gift and the Crown never taxes the land. This system worked well for the Night's Watch when it had thousands of sworn brothers and a large number of smallfolk in the Gift itself. But now that is not the case as the order is a shadow of its former self and most smallfolk have abandoned the Gift because of increasing Wildling raids. Handing over the Gift to House Stark will help the Night's Watch and the Crown can tax those lands. Lord Stark has also promised to completely fund the Night's Watch by the North rather than the Crown." Petyr argued but he could see that the King was not convinced so he quickly added_

_"Your grace the Northerners care about the Night's Watch, unlike us Southerners. I think all the Targaryen loyalists sentenced to the Wall is the cause of all problems the ancient order is now facing. From my conversation with Lord Stark, I think he intends to quietly deal with the Dragon sympathisers without troubling us. I say we let Lord Stark do his duty." Petyr used the ultimate weapon in his arsenal which was misdirection and it worked like a charm as he observed the reaction of King Robert_

_Before Jon Arryn could put a word in Robert exploded in rage._

_"I should have known those Dragon cunts were the problem. I should have bashed all their heads when I had the chance." Robert raged as he banged his fists on the table in front of him shattering the wood in the process_

_"Let Lord Stark be in possession of the _Gift,_ your grace. He will ensure the Night's Watch continue it's diligent service to the realm." Petyr's ploy became successful and King Robert ordered him to draft a City Charter and agreed to hand over the Gift to House Stark._

But he had to abandon his plans to lead King Robert to seek a betrothal for Joffrey from the Starks. With Jon Arryn breathing down his neck it was nigh impossible to make that move safely without any hiccups. No, perhaps it was time that he helped the Lannister twins to target Lord Arryn and the King himself while presenting himself as a loyal Lannister stooge for the queen.

That doesn't mean that he had abandoned his ambitions in the Vale. He was already planning several plots for a possible take over when the Vale lords were sufficiently weakened. He still had Lysa in the Eyrie and it was only a matter of time for the Royces to be brought down low by the war that is about to plunge Westeros in blood and death.

**XXXXX ROBB STARK XXXXXX**

My return ride to Winterfell with the men was uneventful except for the fact that we were joined by the Karstarks halfway to our destination. Apparently, Lord Karstark himself had ridden out with his men and dealt with the wildlings and then decided to travel all the way to Winterfell to discuss some matters with my father.

"You are going to Winterfell because of the betrothal offer for my sister Sansa isn't it?" I asked which earned me a surprised look from Lord Karstark

"Don't look so surprised Lord Karstark. I was the one that suggested the match in the first place." I smiled at his surprised face

"House Karstark is honoured, Lord Robb." Lord Karstark gave a brief nod in my direction

"I wouldn't have suggested Harrion if I didn't think that he would be suitable for my sister. He is a good man and I trust him more than a Southern prince." I intentionally let it slip as I wanted the Karstarks to know that I preferred them over a royal marriage. It is a neat trick to inflate the egos of the nobles and those who are in a position of power.

"King Robert asked for Lady Sansa's hand for his son?" Lord Karstark asked with wide eyes

"He sent an emissary from his court to Winterfell before all this Wildling business. The matter was raised in the meeting and I immediately intervened before my father agreed to anything. The last time a Stark woman caught the attention of a prince the North lost many loyal men in a war. Besides, I want my sister to be happy and I know she will be happy with Harrion as I personally know him and the Karstarks are kin to us." I subtly reminded Lord Karstark of our familial relationship and complimented his son at the same time. That was all a father wanted and that's exactly what I was giving him which made him happy.

"Aye, we Northerners ought to marry from our own lands instead of southerners." Rickard Karstark said with a nod of his head

I swallowed a snort of laughter at his blunt statement. It seems he seems to have forgotten that I am the product of a North-South union. But I was not some petty fool to be offended by that and I used the opportunity to advance my own goals.

"Your are correct Lord Karstark. The last time we needed a Southern ally as the North was weak to pursue a war against the Targaryens all on our own. But things have changed and we have some enemies that are sharpening their knives both inside and outside the North." I said in a lower tone

"I don't understand Lord Robb!" Lord Karstark said as he looked at me in confusion

"The Ryswells and the Boltons have been plotting vengeance against House Stark ever since my grandfather refused a match between uncle Brandon and Barbery Ryswell. The Ryswells did come around when Lady Barbery married Lord Dustin but the rebellion claimed his life and left her with no heir. Ever since then Lady Dustin has been nursing a personal hatred against my father. That's why I rushed to take Barrowlands after Lady Dustin's passing else the Ryswells would have made their move and surround Winterfell from two sides. While all of this is happening the Boltons did try to make their move on Forresters through the Whitehills. Again my timely intervention managed to secure house Forrester's future and the Whitehills at gone for good. I hear that Asher Forrester is set to marry Lord Whitehill's daughter and that would be the end of their rivalry." I explained.

While I knew Lord Karstark already knew most of these things I was subtlety reminding him of the enemies that House Stark have right now. It was also a subtle invitation for him to pick a side. He was already on my side but I was asking his support in a round-about way because his unconditional support would be needed to deal with the Boltons and Ryswells politically. Frankly, I could go around and kill Roose Bolton and deal with the Ryswells but the fact is that Roose Bolton is a weapon that I could direct at my enemies and the Ryswells were a cowardly bunch. Without Bolton's support, they won't make a move and I don't plan on letting him make a move. But that doesn't mean that there won't be others that will oppose me in many ways. If I assassinated everyone that oppose me then I will be a lonely soul in the world. The real trick to win a battle of politics is to let someone else fight the battle while reaping the benefits at the same time.

With my meddling, I have already created a divide among the Northern lords. The lands south of Winterfell are too prosperous and the lands North of Winterfell except for the Ironwood forests have remained in the same state as they were before. It won't be too long before deep divisions begin to crop up in the society and I will have to do some damage control before that happens. It just so happens that I could always pull the Lords together for a common cause against the southern kingdoms and the Ironborn. The Wildlings are also a good enough common cause and the defences that I am planning for the Wall can be actually used against the White Walkers. It is just that those defences need a trial run and the Wildlings were soon going to be the guinea pigs for that experiment.

Our arrival at Wintertown was greeted with great jubilation. The city was already in a festive mode since the King had declared a City Charter for Wintertown and that had put the populace in a festive mode. The city was still growing and was attracting more people behind the safety of the walls. Thanks to a large number of migrant population from Essos the city was growing fast and thanks to my involvement in the city planning this one didn't stink like King's Landing. Lord Manderly had graciously provided some of the experts from White Harbour as well and together they managed to build out a drainage system. A little bit of magic was also involved in that bit of development and a canal was cut from the White Knife river specifically to dump all the sewage. This made sure the White Knife remained clean and it provided clean drinking water for the people. As for the canal where the sewage was being dumped the water there was used only for farming and not for drinking. I have also ensured that the two sides of the canal were filled with medicinal plants and a lot of filtering charms to ensure the water was not harmful even if it is not used for drinking.

The city was now famous for its vibrant cotton, wool, leather and steel industry. While Barrowlands could boast to be the industrial capital of the North, Wintertown was the cultural capital in every sense. The Wool and leather industry was something Wintertown was famous for even before my birth. All I had to do was insert more capital into the local industry to expand it. The infusion of Essosi labour also helped in starting up other industries and new techniques that refined the pre-existing methods increased the overall quality of the products. I was in the process of starting some distilleries in Wintertown as well but my main project in the city was the new guild that I personally created for promoting the Old Tongue. There was only a handful of people that spoke the old language of the North and then there was a whole problem of written form. The written form of Old Tongue was in a runic format which was very difficult for a lot of people to understand and learn. Still from the few words that Old Nan had taught me in my childhood, I knew the language has a striking resemblance to German. My contribution to the guild was by giving a written format to the almost dead language. While I don't hope that the language will become widely popular I still believe that this language would be something the lordly houses will take on after being fully developed. It was a sign that the resurgence of First Men culture is afoot and it would surely help with my plans for integrating the giants into the North. It was an idea with long term benefits which would bear fruit long after I am gone but it was a necessity to ensure Northern culture prosper and remain completely separated from the rest of Westeros. It was time the Andal dominion was put to ashes and I have quite some more plans to that effect. It is just that I need to be in Barrowlands to start off my plans to destabilize the Andal kingdoms.

The Ironwood doors of the wall surrounding Winterfell slowly opened further to let our company into the courtyard. The guards were on full alert because of the celebration that was going on and sure enough, I could see Bran over the top of the wall in his usual spot. Unfortunately, Arya was under a tight hold by my mother else she would have been present with Bran to watch the chaos unfolding in the city.

Father and Mother were quick to welcome Lord Karstark into Winterfell and grant him guest rights. While this was happening Arya quickly bounced over to me with eyes full of eager curiosity.

"How many wildlings did you kill?" Arya asked loudly drawing the attention of Lord Karstark and the ire of our mother

"Three of them I guess." I answered with a shrug as Theon took the reins of my horse and led it back to the stables all the while shooting me dirty looks. The little shit could do that for all he likes and as far as I was concerned his days were numbered. Even after suffering a mountain of humiliating jobs Theon still held on to this fantasy about the Ironborn readers and the squid yearned to be one of those pirate scum. I may have pushed the guy to the dirt but even that was not enough to wash away the stain in Theon's blood. I may be far removed from Winterfell most of the time but I have eyes and ears here and Theon warranted my attention

"Only three? I could have done better." Arya said imperiously bringing my attention back to my bold little sister

"Oh, I don't doubt it, little sister. But perhaps you should be more worried about how you are going to escape from mother rather than my performance." I said with a nod towards mother who was rushing towards our position. Arya bolted from there as fast as her little legs could carry her setting the entire courtyard in laughter.

"Ha, that one behaves just like my daughter Alys." Lord Karstark said with a laugh

"The wolf blood is strong in her. Let's get in and a feast is being readied in your honour." My father said as he led Rickard Karstark into our home

Later that night after the feast I was in my room planning out the magical contract that I was preparing for the Children of Forest. The contract was pretty straight forward all things considered. It basically stated that I and my descendants would provide secure lands for the Children of Forest and protect them from anyone or anything that may harm them to the best of our abilities in return for an oath of fealty to House Stark.

There were several clauses that I added for the new pact chief among them being;

1) No men shall ever take the lands that are assigned to the Children of Forest after this pact is signed.

2) House Stark shall take the responsibility to protect the lands assigned to the Children from all enemies of the Children and First Men to the best of their abilities.

3) The Children and House Stark shall never harm each other and agree to always guard each other's secret.

4) The lands assigned to the Children by House Stark is under the full control of the Children. Only those who have permission from the Children may enter these lands.

5) When the North is in a state of war the Children are obliged to contribute to the war effort in some ways.

There were more such clauses and many of them will have to be debated and adjusted to suit the needs of both parties. There was also the matter of lands that will have to be discussed with the Children. They would be needing large forests and preferably they should be close to rivers and mountains. I can already imagine a lot of lords would be reluctant to hand over their lands but I have magic on my side to make them cooperate.

After spending two days in Winterfell and finalising the betrothal contract with Lord Karstark I returned back to Barrowton with my escort. By then news had already reached the entire North of the new city charter as well as the transfer of the Gift back to House Stark. It was not much of a celebrating matter in Barrowlands as hardly it affected the people here but I plan to hold a one-week celebration in the form of athletic competitions. Events like these attracted a lot of people and in turn make local businesses flourish. The sports events that I hold in Barrowlands do help a lot of smallfolk to earn a lot of coin and smart ones use that coin to start new businesses setting them up for a very different life.

But for the moment I pushed all of that into the back of my mind. Jon was standing in the courtyard with a few men. The minute that I dismounted from my horse I pulled aside Jon out of earshot of anyone.

"How is Leana?" I asked

"She is back to normal and don't worry, I have kept her pregnancy a secret but you have to inform father and lady Catelyn as soon as possible." Jon said

"No! This must remain a secret at least for a year. I can't afford to reveal her this early and neither am I ready to reveal the dragons. Without the dragons, the Northern lords won't accept her as a lady of Winterfell because she is an unknown foreigner with no influence or ties to her motherland." I said as I thought of concealing her from the outside world

"How are you going to safeguard this secret? Everyone will know she is pregnant as the months go by." Jon pointed out

"I can move her to a secure location for the time being." I said thinking about the trunk that I have in my possession. I will just have to hire some healers and maids to take care of her needs and I could visit her daily without anyone finding out our secret

"Even if you hide Leana and the child there is still another problem." Jon said with a sigh

"What problem?" I asked

"The child born will be a bastard as it will be born out of wedlock. Even if you marry Leana after one year your first child will always be a bastard unless it gets legitimised by the King." Jon said and I was blindsided by that. I had not thought about what would happen to the child in all of my plans. The fact is that I had not planned to have a child and I may have forgotten to apply the contraceptive charm on Leana on one of the nights we spent together

"I won't let a child of mine be called a bastard brother. I have a plan but we can discuss that tomorrow after I have a few words with Leana." I said as I led Jon into the castle and began discussing the poor state of the Wall and what my plans are with the Gift.

Later that night I was in my bed reading Watchers on the Wall by Archmaester Harmune. It was an interesting read that shed some light into the long-forgotten secrets of the Wall. Some of the stories in the book were interesting but I wasn't interested in that. No, I was rather interested in the detailed description of the Nightfort and the many tunnels within the said fort. I was especially interested in the Black Gate and the tunnel that leads straight outside the Wall. Now that I have the Children of the Forest to help me I should be able to use the defences of the Wall more effectively.

Speaking of the Children, Rain has disappeared from the Weirwood trees of Barrowton probably to help in moving rest of her kind here. Keeping the arrival of the Children a secret is also going to be a priority but my magical trunk would do for keeping them safe and well protected after I have chosen sites for their land. There was also going to be a lot of wards needed to let them live off without any outside interference. It was going to be a lot of work when adding my plans with the Wall into the mix.

"You should get some sleep instead of staring at that book like it is going to magically reveal some deep dark secret to you." Leana said as she kissed me on my cheek and made herself comfortable on the crook of my neck

"When did you get here?" I asked in surprise

"See, you didn't even realise that a beautiful woman was lying next to you in your bed. You need to rest and keep that book somewhere else." Leana said as she plucked the book out of my hands and placed it on top of a nearby nightstand

"Where is this beautiful woman? I don't see her!" I said and I earned a light jab to my side as she made herself comfortable in the bed wry her ear right on top of my heart

"I was kidding. You are the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen especially now that you are carrying our child." I said as my fingers glided through her smooth silver hair

"I'm scared, Robb. What will happen to our child? Perhaps it was a mistake!" Leana murmured against my skin

"Having this child is not a mistake. I have everything under control and our child will only know joy and love. I promise you that." I pressed a kiss on top of her head and together we slipped off into a peaceful sleep

**XXXXX IRON ISLANDS XXXXX**

Asha Greyjoy walked in a brisk pace to her father's solar. She was a little annoyed that some of her crew were forced to stay outside the castle of Pyke but seeing as it was her father that summoned her she shelved that emotion. There was no reason for her to rile up her father when he was already a mad raving lunatic these days. The guards stationed outside the throne room immediately pushed opened the door once they saw her and let her in. She was greeted by the scene of her father in a heated tirade against her uncle Victorian who was one of the captains in the Iron Fleet.

"You are telling me that two finest long oats of the Iron Fleet are no match for one that piece of garbage the Wolfs call as ships! Are you an Ironborn or not brother? How can you claim to be an Ironborn when you can't even sink a single ship of the Northerners! The Northerners!" Balon raged at the captain

"My lord, the Starks have long-range ballistas that can pick off our ships from a range that we can't reciprocate in kind. Even if I somehow engaged the enemy within our scorpion range the Northern fleet is made of Ironwood and you know how resistant it is to scorpion bolts. So I had to pull back those ships from being another shattered ship that joined the many in the bottom of the ocean. Without improving our Scorpion range there is no point in seeking out a battle with the Northern fleet unless anyone desires to court death." Victorian said back with a stone face showing not a shred of emotion

"Cowards! I am surrounded by cowards. If only my sons have survived the war then they would have brought me the riches from the Starks." Balon raged

"They tried and all they brought was death to these Islands. Have you forgotten that brother?" Victorian snarled as he lost his cool for being called as a coward by his dimwitted elder brother who took the Iron Islands into a stupid war with a stupid strategy

"Get out! Get the fuck out and never show your face again in my halls you coward." Balon shouted and Victorian marched past Asha who immediately made way for her uncle to pass

"If he were not my kin then I would have smashed his head and threw his body for the sharks. What are you doing there girl? Come closer!" Balon thundered and watched with beady eyes as his daughter moved closer to the Seastone chair

"I have heard the Starks have built up a large fleet to counter the Iron Fleet but I never realised that they were powerful enough to deter even uncle Victorian." Asha said prodding for any information especially considering Theon was a captive in the North

"For many years the Northerners have been building up their fleets. After the war with the green lander king, our fleet's strength has been gutted. I couldn't properly respond to the threat but now there are hundreds of ships in the Northern fleet all arrayed against us. If only I had more men with some spine rather than cowards like your uncle then I would have shown the up jumped Starks who rules the waves." Balon threw away the chalice he was holding against the wall in his rage

"Wouldn't attacking the Northern fleet endanger Theon, father. He is one of us and he will lose his head if we attract the ire of Starks." Asha warned her father

"Theon is a good for nothing green lander. He has not even tasted the scent of the sea after he left the Iron Islands. He hasn't reaved and hasn't taken the Iron Price. He is as good as a green lander and he is no son of mine." Balon snarled strangely and his eyes focused on Asha with great intensity and a hint of pride

"You, on the other hand, has scourged the Summer seas. I have heard men speak of your bravery and ruthlessness as you ravaged the ships of Summer Islanders. As my heir, you should concentrate on that rather than your green lander brother. Do you understand daughter?" Balon asked

"As you say, father." Asha reluctantly let the matter drop and watched her father gather his thoughts in the season chair

"The Northern fleet will burn like the Lannister fleet. Euron may be a traitor but his plan worked and managed to burn out the Lannister fleet. The same will happen to the Northern fleet. The Iron fleet is already expanding and soon we will be back to our previous strength. No one will challenge our dominion over the seas least of all the Northerners." Balon grumbled as he once again began to drink more wine while making threats at the Starks who he held responsible for the death of his son and the humiliation of turning his own flesh and blood as a greenlander.

**XXXXXX PENTOS XXXXXXX**

"I hope everything is to your liking Prince Viserys." Illyrio said as he observed the former prince of the Seven Kingdoms water around his manse

"Your manse is not as big as the Red Keep and not suitable for a Targaryen prince but for now it will do. When I retake my birthright I shall allow you to stay in the Red Keep Magister." Viserys commented as he looked around the expansive manse

"What about you my princess. Are you satisfied with my humble home?" Illyrio asked the beautiful Targaryen princess who he was ogling quite a bit

"You have a beautiful home Magister Illyrio. Thank you for inviting us to stay here." Daenerys thanked the large man who had saved her and her brother from the streets

"Oh, think nothing of it, princess. It is an honour to host two scions of House Targaryen in my humble home. It is not every day that someone like me can claim that my humble home received royalty under this roof." Illyrio said while internally he was sort of disappointed the princess was such a weak-willed girl. He was already losing interest in her and the only thing that was going for her was her stunning beauty.

"It is indeed refreshing to see a magister such as yourself acknowledge the might of House Targaryen. Too many Magisters insulted me and my House instead of being grateful for hosting the rightful king of Westeros." Viserys said as his face scrunched up into a fierce scowl as if reliving a memory

"Then they were poor hosts to your grace and the princess. In my home, both of you will not be insulted like that." Ilyrio said

"We shall see. All those who have insulted me will pay once I have reclaimed the Iron Throne from the Usurper. Has there been any news from the Seven Kingdoms, Magister?" Viserys asked

"The common people suffer under the tyranny of the usurper Robert Baratheon. The people yearn for a Targaryen monarch to sit the throne. The usurper drinks and whores the kingdom into further debt and the Lannisters dismantle the peace painstakingly forged by your ancestors my prince. The Ironborn rebelled against the usurper but the Krakens were beaten back because no one likes the Ironborn. Even still the usurper still has powerful allies like Lanniaters, Arryns, Tullys and Starks." Illyrio said while carefully observing the prince and he was sad to note that the fool believed everything he said right away. He wasn't sure how his friend Varys was going to take the news that Viserys Targaryen still remains a moron even after everything life has thrown at him.

"The usurper and his dogs will soon have their due. That's why I am here in your manse Magister Illyrio. Where can I get a large enough army that can deliver me the Iron Throne as well as the heads of all my enemies?" Viserys asked which made Illyrio really wanted to laugh at the little peacock's face but he restrained himself. Until he can get the word out to Varys he will have to keep up the charade

"There are many ways your grace. There are sellsword companies like the Golden Company, the Second Sons and many more. But all of them require a lot of gold but there is another option. The Dothraki also can field a large army and they are something many Free Cities fear. Even the sellswords hesitate to challenge the Dothraki in the field and Westeros has never faced the Dothraki in battle." Illyrio explained

"Interesting. Tell me more about these Dothraki, Magister." Viserys looked up at IIlyrio in interest as he began to narrate the gruesome history of the horse lords. As time passed Ilyrio could see there was a mad glint in Viserys's eyes while Daenerys was showing abject fear from his takes about the Dothraki. One thing was for sure, his friend Varys was going to be very disappointed with the last Targaryens.


	15. Smoking kills!

**AN:**

**A fair warning before you read this chapter. It contains certain elements that may be offensive to some people but keep in mind that this is a fictional setting and please don't drag any of your 'bleeding heart' opinions into this. Just like the Andals behaved with the First Men and Children, Robb is going to enact a similar house cleaning process but with different tools. This chapter is mentioning the beginning of such plans and that's why I am warning you guys. If you don't like some dark themes don't read and save me from getting a headache from reading moronic reviews that are too political for my liking. You can go whole political in my other story "Egoistic". Don't bring the Geneva Convention rules into ASOIAF. I have seen too many of that in reviews and PMs. **

**Now that I have given a fair warning, please enjoy!**

**Oh, I almost forgot. I have decided to abandon pairing Daenerys with Robb. I have come to realise that such a relationship will not be advantageous to the 'First Men, first and forever' theme that I am developing. Instead of that I am of the opinion of Robb x Leana x Val or Robb x Leana. **

**As for Jon I have been thinking of his original pairing Jon x Ygritte OR Jon x Val OR Jon x Mirra Forrester**

**XXXX BARROWLANDS XXXX**

Captain Orlando Flowers was born a bastard from the Reach. He was the son of Normund Tyrell who was a maester in the citadel but that didn't stop him from having a child. Orlando was born to a wet nurse in service to House Bulwer and the moment the Tyrells realised that he was born he was packed-off to Essos. On the way, the ship was attacked by some slavers and he was separated from his poor mother. That was the last time he saw his mother again and he was sold to a master in Tyrosh. From there onwards he worked as miner, carpenter, messenger, spy, a knife for hire and many other jobs. For years he yearned for freedom to exact vengeance upon those who expelled him and his mother from the Reach. He had formulated many plans but all of them were doomed to failure as he couldn't find a way to get inside a Westerosi ship or a Bravosi ship. He was losing hope and then one day he was sold again by his master to a bulk buyer and the funny thing was he was free once he boarded the ship. He was overjoyed and the ship landed in White Harbour. From there he along with many of the slaves were transported through the White Knife further inland. From there they were transported to Barrowlands and it was there he found his true calling.

At first he had joined the army and what a grand army it was. He had thought that he would be just a pikeman or something in the army but after some training, he was drafted into a special secret team that was being formed up in the army. This new group was named Secret Intelligence Service and it deals with the most dangerous job in Westeros. The Secret Intelligence Service(SIS) was not formed just for spying instead it was designed for multiple operations. Chief among them was the economic revival of the North by creating pockets of businesses carefully started by the SIS agents under the investment of their founder and commander Robb Stark. At first, this was done to enhance the competition and growth of industry in the North but soon that quickly evolved into intelligence gathering and threat assessment of several interesting individuals. This mission was named Project Uplift and it was a stellar success that led to the rapid development of Wintertown. This success along with the fact that the agency was built up personally by Lord Robb Stark resulted in the expansion of the agency. Very quickly the SIS was granted several acres of land for training and housing the agents.

But in the last six months, half the agents of Project Uplift were called back and replaced by newly trained agents. There was a new mission and it was outside the North. This mission was going to be a hostile one and its objective is to create complete discord in the Andal kingdoms as well as spying certain individuals. The name of the mission is Project Dismantle and Orlando was the leader of this mission. The mission required extreme secrecy and stealth to accomplish all the mission parameters but they have been training for optimum results for months. Besides all the agents were equipped with magical items that left quite an impression in Orlando's mind. There were portkey lockets that had two destinations charmed into it under different phrases under the new German-language(Old Tongue). The word **_Volk _**would pull the agents back to the North in their base while the word **_Höhle _**would transport them to their hideouts. All agents were also equipped with two-way mirrors that are directly connected to Orlando's mirror. All agents were bound by magical contracts to ensure the secrecy of the mission.

There were three phases for the mission. The first phase has a time period of six months and all the missions were planned out to take place in Riverlands, Vale and King's Landing. In these six months, the agents had to establish an underground trade network and insert all Opium products into the market. The crucial part of the mission was to maintain complete secrecy about the source and production of all drug-related products. For Phase one to be completely successful the North must in no way be implicated in the production and distribution of any drug-related products. The second phase involves spreading the network into Westerlands, Stormlands and the Reach through building up drug cartels. This was the the most ambitious part of the whole project as it required extensive planning and security checks to ensure the supply and expansion of the network remain stable. These networks would also be used to extract valuable intel that could potentially increase the devastation of the war that was being planned and totally uprooting the established social order as well. The third phase was not an objective set for SIS agents but rather the military of the North. Because of that Orlando was not privy to the exact details of the third phase. Frankly, he didn't mind being kept in the dark because his interests lay in the destruction of House Tyrell for what they did to him and his mother. In fact, he was already being considered for a mission that will cripple the Citadel but that was far into the future and the mission itself will be dependent on the success of Project Dismantle.

Right now Orlando and his team were in the meeting room waiting for Lord Robb to arrive. They jumped to their feet quickly as Lord Robb glided into the meeting room with nary a whisper. Orlando bowed as did his men at Robb and then took their seat after Lord Robb took his.

"I don't think I have to tell all of you once again that this is going to be a dangerous but crucial mission to ensure the North remain independent long after my or your time. This mission whether successful or not demands your safe return back to North and complete secrecy about the mission or its objective. You all have trained for this moment for years and I am confident that you men will see us through just like you all played your part in the rapid growth of our homeland. Thus it is not out of order when I say that you men must be rewarded for the services rendered to the North and the risk that you are now taking despite several safety precautions." Robb paused for effect and seeing as he maintained the undivided attention he continued on as he took out a small box and showed the contents of the box to his audience. Insider the box there were several rolls of parchment affixed with the seal of House Stark making it an official document.

"Within this box lies the official orders of granting permanent land to your families and extended families in the new Wintertown City. While you go out from here to your designated posts these official documents would find itself in the hands of your families granting them an unofficial status as Barons which will be later declared legal when the North secedes from the Iron Throne. I know many among here are without families of their own and that has also been taken under due consideration. When all of you will return back from this mission you will each have a choice to continue your work for the SIS or you could pursue civilian life. In either case, all of you will be rewarded with the title of Barons and afforded all the powers that come with it." Robb paused as he let his offer sink in and the men murmured quietly amongst them excitedly.

"Now, I am sure that you all have a schedule to keep up and the mission starts from now on. Keep in mind that for the duration of this mission no one will ever speak my name or that of your colleagues or better yet anyone you know from the North. Your only contact during this period will be with Captain Orlando who will, in turn, be in contact with me directly reporting your progress. All of you may report at the mission desk and collect your 'payload'." Robb said as he held back Captain Orlando to have a private word and sealed the room once all the men left

"How are the men's morale? This mission is not something that is going to be very difficult for many men to accept or even approve. Even I am having difficulty to endorse this mission to intentionally poison millions to addiction and subsequent problems that will follow when they inevitably consume Opium and all related drugs that we will be pumping into the Andal kingdoms." Robb said as he moved closer to a table where the map of Westeros was laid out with red marks showing the positions of each of his agents in Project Dismantle

"Many of them were reluctant for this mission at the start but now that there is a potion that would ensure the men won't be falling prey to addiction themselves they are willing to do this. Trust me when I say if the other Great Houses had the resources and abilities that you have they would have done much worse than what you were planning and at the same time they would have hoarded all that power and wealth onto themselves. You, on the other hand, has given a new life to many of the poor, those who were slaves and many people like me who were nothing and would amount to nothing has a chance to be something that we could all be proud of. What does it matter whether a man dies on the battlefield or in his home from poison? What is honour and chivalry worth when cunning and shadow wars will result in a much better outcome with little loss from our side? What we do is not for our pleasure or hatred but out of necessity." Captain Orlando affirmed as he recited the general ideal under which the SIS operated and founded

"Yes, you are right." Robb stood straight as he hardened his heart

"You have become a little soft, Lord Robb. The Robb that I knew would not have hesitated in ordering this mission." Captain Orlando said searchingly

"Perhaps when faced with some considerable changes in one's life you start to question yourself more strongly than ever before." Robb mused as he thought about Leana and the child that she was carrying in her womb. He had found later that he was questioning and judging his own character and actions a lot ever since he found out that he was going to be a father. He was broken out of his thoughts as Orlando spoke again

"I hope you are not having second thoughts about the Citadel and the Maesters?" Captain Orlando asked as he observed Robb closely

"I am still planning the specifics for the maximum effect of our mission there. But rest assured the Citadel will be dealt with as will the Maesters as soon as the Alchemists replenish their stocks of Wildfire for the Wall." Robb assured him and he was not lying when he said that. To ensure the growth and stability of North it was absolutely necessary the Maesters were booted out of the North and be permanently wiped-off from Westeros. They were a danger to be allowed to continue lest they slowly bind the Andal kingdoms together in the future against the North. It was his hope to permanently undo any chance of the Andal kingdoms to ever again unite and he was committed to this task.

"I wouldn't be trusting those Alchemists with even a cup of water. Who knows what they are cooking up in their labs for all these years?" Orlando grumbled as even SIS agents were not allowed to monitor the works that the alchemists were doing. He had even once tried to bring the alchemists under the SIS as a separate division but Lord Robb had put a stop to it and reasoned that the alchemists were pioneers in research and that's what they should do rather than be exposed to military or defence organizations.

"I will be making a quick stopover there. Good luck in your mission Captain." Robb appreciated the man for leading this mission and stayed over until Captain Orlando and his team departed the North

**XXXXX**

Robb apparated straight into the library of the Alchemist guild that he had set up in a secluded area especially considering the amount of Wildfire the guild was storing under the building. When he had initially established the Alchemist guild there was only a meagre two alchemists. But after recruiting some very well learned men and women from Essos who had joined up with the alchemists the guild now had a thriving number of fifty members and they were steadily growing. That doesn't mean all fifty of them were expert Alchemists as most of them worked in varying fields. For example, there were five alchemists who were studying the Valyrian scrolls that I have acquired in hopes of manufacturing Valyrian steel. Unfortunately, the written format of the Valyrian language in the scrolls was in obscure glyphs and coded language. It seems the Valyrians were paranoid and secured all important documents under coded language. The five wisdoms were still hopeful in decoding the parchments.

All of the scrolls were not coded and that has resulted in some very good discoveries like the design of a rapid-fire crossbow that the Valyrians used. Not just the handheld crossbow but the dragon piercer Ballista and a Scorpio was also there in the records that Robb managed to unearth from Valyria. Unfortunately, the rapid-fire crossbow required some complex fast internal spanning mechanisms that depended on spring-loaded designs which were frankly out of scope for any Westerosi or Essosi engineer to replicate. At the very least the Ballista was simple enough and was judiciously used in Northern ships for some time now. Very few scrolls on medicine and magic survived the Doom but Robb had managed to find a magical ritual that described a way to bind a dragon to a particular bloodline. This ensured the dragon will not go wild after the rider dies. There were more scrolls that have not yet been touched and it would take some years to translate them all as Robb had prioritized in unearthing the secrets behind Valyrian Steel.

"Lord Robb, this is a pleasant surprise!"

A voice from his back exclaimed and Robb turned his attention away from the scrolls that were being held in the library to Wisdom Hallyne one of the Alchemists that he had recruited from King's Landing.

"Wisdom Hallyne, greetings! I have arrived for an inspection. Lead the way, please." Robb said and Wisdom Hallyne immediately nodded and led Robb into the main labs that were obviously underground

Robb followed Wisdom Hallyne into the lab and the first thing that he saw was several crossbows on a table.

"Are those rapid-fire crossbows?" Robb asked curiously as he picked one up from the table

"Unfortunately no. We have not yet able to solve the complexity behind several mechanisms that the Valyrians used, my lord. This one is an improved version of the regular crossbow as it has more range and piercing power." Wisdom Hallyne said as he handed over an arrow to Robb and began cranking the bow. Robb took aim at an armoured dummy and fired the bow. The aim was true and the bolt pierced right through the armour much deeper than he had seen other normal crossbows perform.

"This is good Wisdom Hallyne! Why have you not informed of this development?" Robb questioned the alchemist

"As you know our primary efforts were spent on replicating the Valyrian design and this one is not that much different from regular crossbows. The main reason I never informed you of this because this crossbow is not dependable in battle." Hallyne explained

"Please elaborate Wisdom Hallyne…" Robb placed the crossbow back on the table

"The string is not able to hold the high tension the bow demands. After three or more use it breaks away leaving the bow useless. True, the bow has more speed and piercing power but it is not dependable in battle." Hallyne explained

"I see. Even if that is the case you should send a few batches of this crossbow as soon as you can manufacture it. Perhaps as a first delivery, ten of them will do. You may hire more workers and I will cover the costs." Robb said as he thought about using an indestructible charm that would solve the problem pretty easily. Frankly, he could have solved the problem of rapid-fire crossbows with a suitable animation charm but it was necessary to let the North not be completely dependent on his magic every step of the way. Already the North was very much dependent on his magic and he didn't want to increase that any further and extend it to weapons manufacturing.

"In the next section, we have the research going on about the far-eyes or telescope as you always like to mention, Lord Robb. While the existing far-eyes have improved vision and range than the Myrish ones we are confident that with further studies we will be able to improve the range." Wisdom Hallyne said as he led Robb to a section of the lab where all the glassworks were lying around with a few acolytes who were doing experiments with concave and convex lenses. There were also few mirrors lying about on the table and that brought up Robb to inquire about one of his ideas.

"Have you given any thought to using the mirrors for a lighthouse that I had proposed?" Robb asked curiously as he picked up a small mirror from the table

"We have my lord. But it will be a costly venture for very little gain. There are also some security concerns especially with the Ironborn expanding their fleets. Not to mention we will be burning a lot of whale oil unnecessarily for the entire night." Wisdom Hallyne cautioned as he firmly believed this lighthouse project will bring more advantages to the Ironborn

"Perhaps we can use one in White Harbour and see how well received it will be with the sailors." Hallyne suggested

Robb thought about it for some time and finally agreed with Hallyne's suggestion. "I shall request a meeting with Lord Manderly and see how receptive he is to the idea. Now, tell me about the Wildfire production."

"Please follow me, my lord." Hallyne led Robb through another set of stairs that led him further down and there was a long narrow corridor that was lit by small lamps. At the end of the corridor, there was a large wooden door. Hallyne knocked on the door three times and the acolytes opened the door from the other side letting them in.

Upon entering Robb saw rows upon rows of Wildfire stored in large glass bowls at the far end of the wide hall. The green viscous fluid was glowing eerily immersing the hall in green light.

"Have you met the 100 jar mark yet?" Robb asked never taking his eyes off the glowing liquid

"I am afraid we have not yet breached that amount, my lord. With a lack of further experienced alchemists, I am sorry to say that the production of the substance is lagging behind." Hallyne reported

"That is unfortunate. I hope that by the end of this year you will be able to increase the rate of production." Robb commented not too happy to know that one of the most essential weapons against the White Walkers was not ready yet. But he could understand that he was placing a tall order on the Alchemists especially considering they were engaged in many other projects.

"While I am sorry to disappoint you in regards to the Wildfire I am happy to announce that we have made great strides in studying the Weirwood trees and its innate nature to enhance magical power." With that said Hallyne opened another door and climbed up the stairs that took them above the ground level that led into a long hall where several people were laying in bed peacefully sleeping

Robb saw two rows of beds that had men and women wearing clothes of red and green colour.

"Why are they dressed in separate colours?" Robb inquired as he watched the acolytes feed the people on the left side of the hall a white paste

"People who wear green clothes are those who are being treated with Weirwood paste. Those who wear red clothes are the ones that are smoking Weirwood leaves dried with Weirwood paste. We have only committed to human trials a few weeks ago and already the results are very promising." Hallyne said jovially and led Robb out of the building and straight to a small Godswood.

The place had a few guards standing at the ready who were watching two men. The guards bowed in respect as they saw Robb and Hallyne immediately had a small conversation with the two men the guards were keeping an eye on. Hallyne led the two men to Robb and asked them to demonstrate.

Robb watched as the shorter of the two who's name was Small-pie briefly closed his eyes and opened them. Robb was pleasantly surprised to see that the brown eyes of Small-pie were replaced by pearl white eyes and an eagle dived down from the sky to sit on Small-pie's shoulder.

"He is a warg?" Robb asked in surprise as he turned to Hallyne who was watching the spectacle with a creepy smile

"Till last week he was not a warg, my lord. But after two weeks of smoking the Weirwood leaves dried with the Weirwood paste has awakened the magical power of First Men. The same happened to Fisher here!" Hallyne explained enthusiastically as he encouraged the second man to perform

Before Robbs eyes, the second man who was perhaps a little thin in his opinion knelt on the ground and placed his palm on the ground. Fisher hummed a little bit and a Winter Rose began to grow right before Robb's eyes. Within a few minutes, the plant grew to its full size and bloomed the blue rose flower that was very common in the North.

"This changes things. This changes a lot of my plans for the North!" Robb thought in the privacy of his mind as he smiled at Hallyne and congratulated the man for his stellar work. There was more work to be done and it was perhaps not going to be completed in his lifetime but Robb was sure that he had found a reliable way to spread the rise of magical potential in the North.


End file.
